Puzzle Pieces
by darkheadlights
Summary: What if Rory called Jess instead of going to Dean when she was upset over having to drop a class? Literati.
1. Chapter 1

**Beginning is set during "The Incredible Sinking Lorelais" (season 4)**

**I own nothing.**

"This is not a big deal. This happens to a lot of students."

"Okay…glad to be fitting in."

Rory slipped out of her professor's office and automatically headed towards her dorm, her head down. Unbidden, her eyes filled with tears and she angrily wiped them away. So stupid to be crying over something like this. She was angry, though. Logically, she knew her anger was 99% directed at herself and maybe 1% towards the professor, but she was sick and tired of being self-critical, so she imagined the professor's head on fire.

Fully immersed in her completely evil, yet incredibly satisfying fantasy, Rory started to unlock her dorm door when she heard loud voices.

"If he thinks it's okay to raid our _communal _mini-fridge, what's to stop him from crawling into bed with me or, god forbid, taking a shower with my soap? He'd crush me! He'd crush me all the way _through _the floor and into the goddamned foundation! And my soap would end up with little hairs – oh, Jesus Christ, that's a disgusting image." Paris. Rory could almost hear Janet rolling her eyes and Klees (what kind of name was that, anyway?) hulking in the background. Before Janet could shout a retort at Paris, Rory hurried around the corner and pulled out her phone.

"Hello, you've reached Lorelai Gilmore. Please leave a – " If it were possible to slam a phone shut like you could slam a door shut, Rory slammed the phone shut. The one time her mom didn't answer the phone. She'd answer when Rory wanted to complain about the lack of Cocoa Puffs in the cafeteria or the guy who kicked her chair in her poetry seminar, but everything starts to fall apart and Lorelai was nowhere to be found.

Tears pricked at Rory's eyes again and this time, she let them come. All her life, she'd had her mom to lean on, and even when they were fighting, she at least had Lane, or hell, anyone else in Stars Hollow to talk to. But Lane was gone now and that made Rory feel…unsafe. Unsupported. In high school, she'd always thought she was pretty independent. She took the bus by herself. After a couple speed bumps, she did all those mountains of Chilton homework on her own, no tutors, no nothing. She had boyfriends, a social life. But that first day at Yale, it had become achingly apparent just how dependent Rory was on her mother. They were each other's rocks.

Rory bit back a sob and tried dialing Lorelai again. No answer. She didn't know who else she could call in a situation like this…scrolling through her contacts, Rory bypassed Grandma and Grandpa (she absolutely did not want Richard to find out she'd had to drop a course – ugh, the mere thought of her failure made the tears run fresh). She skipped over Sookie's name. She was more her mom's friend than her own friend, and anyway, Sookie was really best at fixing problems to which the solution was pie or cookies or quiche. Christopher wasn't an option. Then she scrolled past Jess Mariano. She bit her lip as she stared at the name. A rush of emotions swept through her midsection.

_The lights of the Festival twinkled in the background. Rory's face felt hot, but it wasn't from the bonfire._

_"What do you have to say to me?" she demanded, staring at the boy who broke her heart._

_Jess took a breath. "I love you," he said simply. _

_For a moment, the two just stared at one another, neither of them sure of what to say next. This situation felt horribly familiar to Rory. Another beautiful boy was telling her he loved her, and she had no idea what to say to him. Her feelings for Jess were so convoluted and twisted up; she hated him one minute and loved him the next. She opened her mouth slightly to say something – what, she wasn't sure – but Jess was already turning away. She watched him drive off in that old junk pile of a car and a tear rolled down her cheek. He ran away…again._

Rory hesitated only a moment before pressing CALL. She raised the phone to her ear with a shaking hand, half of her desperately hoping he wouldn't pick up or his phone had been disconnected.

"Hello?"

"Jess?"

"Rory?" He sounded incredulous.

"I didn't know who else to call," she said lamely.

"What's wrong?" Now he sounded worried. Or upset that she had called him. It was hard to tell when she couldn't see his expression. Her face felt hot and then she was crumbling.

"Everything's falling apart," she sobbed, choking on her own words.

"_What's wrong_?" Jess asked, more insistently this time. Rory snuffled unattractively.

"I just – Yale is harder than I thought it would be. I got a D on a paper and the professor said I should…I should drop the course…" she said, shaking her head and covering her mouth to hold back more sobs. "I feel like a failure."

"Rory Gilmore got a D on a paper? I don't believe it." She could almost hear the smirk on his face, the smirk she loved and hated.

"I went in there expecting a pat on the back and a 'well-done, Miss Gilmore,'" she continued, sniffling a little, and hating herself for it. She sounded utterly pathetic. She should just hang up now and cut her losses. He didn't want to listen to his ex-girlfriend cry. But she went on. "I've never gotten a D on a paper, _ever_. Well…there was that one time in high school…but that was _high school_. This is _Yale_. It's not supposed to be like this. I thought I was…I thought I was smart, I guess." She was rambling.

"Rory, stop," Jess said softly. The tone of his voice got her attention. "You _are_ smart. And you're not a failure. Don't let anyone tell you different. I've never met another girl who reads as voraciously as you do, or knows as much about politics. That's pretty distinctly Rory Gilmore. That professor's an idiot. Just because he works at Yale doesn't mean he's the ruler of the world or has any say in what your future's gonna be like." She couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, Jess," she said.

"I really believe all that," he replied. "I'm not just bullshitting. I swear." Rory laughed.

"I trust you," she said, and bit her lip. She'd said it flippantly, but the words made her think more seriously. Could she trust him? The boy who broke her heart?


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hope you are enjoying the story so far! I'm not exactly sure where it's going, so it's a mystery to both you and me what will happen next. This chapter's really dialogue-heavy because it's just Rory and Jess talking. Hope you don't mind. :)**

Rory listened to Jess sigh and immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry for calling you, Jess," she said.

"I'm not sorry." She raised her eyebrows. Really?

"Really?" she repeated out loud.

"Yeah, really. I know I kinda…ambushed you…back there," he said awkwardly. She knew what he was referring to. She started walking towards the nearest coffee kiosk, just to have something to do with her legs, something to concentrate on besides what she was going to say next.

"Jess…why did you run?" Rory asked, biting down hard on her lip. That was it; she was starting this uncomfortable conversation. So much for avoiding it. She could almost feel his defenses going up.

"You ran first," he said sullenly. She remembered zigzagging around the town square. Trying to outrun a boy in sneakers when she was a girl in a dress and heels – hopeless.

"Well, actually – " Rory started. She was thinking that _he _ran first: when she ran into him in Weston's and then in the bookstore. But she didn't want to quibble about that. They had bigger fish to fry, so to speak. "How was California?" she asked instead, barely-concealed anger apparent in the tone of her voice. She wasn't over it. He ran then, too.

"Not so great," Jess replied truthfully. "It wasn't how I expected it to be. And…I missed you."

_I have to sit down_, Rory thought, and plopped down on the nearest bench, next to a boy who seemed very concerned about a coffee stain on his hoodie. He glanced at Rory and launched himself off the bench, off to the laundry room, she assumed. The light had begun to change as evening drew nearer. Rory was alone. Her head was buzzing. Half of her was angry, so angry that he dared say he missed her when he was the one who left in the first place. The other half felt vindicated.

"Oh yeah?" she said, the words coming out rougher than she meant them to. "I missed you too, Jess. At prom. At my graduation. My first day at Yale. You were supposed to be there." Her voice grew quieter. "And I miss you now. Talking to you like this, it's hard." He was silent. "Where are you now?" she asked, less to change the subject and more just to get him to say something.

"In Philadelphia," he answered. "Rory. I'm sorry. I should have said that a lot earlier. You know me…you know I'm not the best with…emotions." He chuckled to himself. "I guess I get that from good old Uncle Luke." His tone grew more serious and Rory felt herself softening towards him. She really did miss him. "I got scared. Things had actually been going well for once, and then they kinda derailed. I wasn't gonna graduate, Rory. That's why I couldn't take you to prom," he confessed.

"Jess, you were the smartest student at Stars Hollow High. Why weren't you going to graduate?" she asked, realizing too late that the question was irrelevant. "Never mind. Why didn't you just tell me? I would have done something…I don't know what…but something."

"I know. I know you would have. Listen, Rory, I have to go. I've got something I need to do."

"Oh," she said, feeling more disappointed than she expected.

"But I want to keep talking to you. I don't want to lo- I don't want us to stop talking. So can I call you back tomorrow night?" he asked. _He almost sounded like he was going to say he doesn't want to lose me, _Rory thought, then dismissed it. He had already lost her. Hadn't he?

"Yes," she said in reply to Jess' question. "Here's my number." She could picture him scribbling it in the margins of whatever book he was currently reading. "Bye, Jess," she whispered, even though no one was around.

"Bye, Rory."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Although Lorelai (and probably Luke) will definitely be present in this story, for the sake of the Rory and Jess plot point, and especially because I'm telling the story from Rory's POV, I'm pushing Lorelai's financial troubles to the background. You'll hear about them but they won't be prevalent. Enjoy!**

Rory trudged back towards her dorm after hanging up with Jess, feeling slightly drained. If you had told her that morning that she would be having a lengthy conversation with her ex-boyfriend, she would have said you were nutso. And if you'd told her that she'd probably be talking to him again tomorrow, she would have said you were double-nutso. Rory wondered if he would really call her back. What if he never called her again? There was certainly no reason for him to, at least as far as she could see.

Standing in front of her suite's door once again, Rory listened carefully. All was quiet, so she considered it safe to enter. Tana was sitting on the couch, watching TV, as usual. Rory had no idea when the girl got any homework done. Paris, Janet, and the Hulk were nowhere to be seen.

"Hi, Tana," Rory said, waving at the younger girl.

"Hi, Rory," Tana said back, barely taking her gaze away from the screen. Then she looked at Rory properly. "Wow, you look awful. Want me to make you tea?" The girl was not one for tact, but Rory appreciated the concern nonetheless.

"No, thanks, I think I'm just gonna go to bed," Rory said. "Is Paris home?"

"No," Tana replied, her attention returned to whatever show she was watching. It looked like Full House. Rory sighed in relief. Much as she loved Paris – well, maybe "loved" wasn't quite the right word, but it'd do for now – she really wanted to have a few minutes alone. Maybe she could reach her mom now. Brightening, Rory opened the door to her room and threw her stuff down on the bed, pulling out her phone again as she did so.

"Hello?" Lorelai answered.

"Mom? Are you okay? You sound…sad," Rory said, concern instantly clouding her expression.

"Long day," Lorelai answered with a weak, false-sounding laugh.

"Me too," Rory said, thinking back to her earlier musings about where the day had taken her – nutso! Not wanting to make whatever her mom's burden was any heavier, Rory refrained from mentioning her paper or the class she had to drop. She needed sympathy but Lorelai sounded like she needed it more, and besides, Jess had helped. _Wait, Jess had actually helped?_ He had… Rory turned her attention back to her mom. "What happened?"

"Stuff with the inn…no matter how many business classes you take, they don't prepare you for sinks being sent back to their mothers or what to do when you leave a salon with wet hair." Rory frowned.

"Huh?" Lorelai's trains of thought were rarely easy to follow, but she usually kept up okay. This was incomprehensible, though.

"Never mind," the older woman sighed. "It'll be okay, kid. Don't worry about me. How's the learnin'?" Wanting to avoid talking about her class for as long as she could, Rory changed the subject to pie and they managed to talk about that for another ten minutes before saying good night. Lying back, Rory took a deep breath and realized she felt much, much better. But it was only partially from finally talking to her mom. Her eyebrows furrowed. Tomorrow was probably going to be very interesting.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I rewatched "The Incredible Sinking Lorelais" and realized that the huge guy Janet is dating is named Klee…not Klees. Oops! **

**This chapter's a bit longer. Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.**

That night, Rory had a dream about Jess. She was in a House of Mirrors, trying to find him, but he kept slipping around the corner and disappearing right before she could reach him. She'd catch a glimpse of the sleeve of his t-shirt, or the cuff of his jeans, or a single curl of his dark hair, but every time she stretched her hand out, her fingers only hit cold glass. She woke up feeling frustrated and a little anxious about what the new day would bring. She could get one anxiety out of the way, though.

_I can do this. It's not a big deal. It's _not _a big deal_, Rory coached herself as she pushed open the door to the registrar's office.

"Um, hi," she said to the stern-looking woman behind the front desk. She reminded Rory of the woman she had encountered on her first day of Chilton, the one that prompted Lorelai to say, 'See, that's what happens when you go to bed with your makeup on.' Rory continued, "I'm here to…uh…_drop a class_." She semi-whispered the last part, unable to shake the feeling of shame that came with dropping a class at Yale. The woman barely glanced up.

"Stand in line behind those three," she said, jerking her thumb back towards a line of students Rory hadn't noticed when she first walked in. _Other people have to drop classes too? _she thought incredulously. She recognized one of the students as the boy with the coffee stain from the previous night.

"Hey," she said. "What class do you have to drop?" The boy looked at her and grinned sheepishly.

"Vector Calculus and Linear Algebra," he told her. "Yeah, I'm an idiot." Rory giggled appreciatively. "You?" he asked.

"Game Theory," she replied, and he made the motion of wiping sweat off his brow.

"Damn, I didn't even look at that one during shopping week," he laughed. "You must be relieved to get rid of it." He gave her a friendly smile. Rory considered for a moment.

"You know what? I really am," she said, and meant it. A small smile appeared on her face.

Although she kind of hated herself for it, Rory couldn't help but keep checking her phone all day long. She knew Jess had said he would call her tomorrow _night_, but all through her afternoon Intro to Journalism course, she kept glancing down at her bag where her phone sat, stubbornly silent. Her concentration was ruined and when she looked at her notebook at the end of the class, she hadn't written a thing.

_Time for coffee_, Rory thought to herself, and could almost hear her mom quipping 'It's always time for coffee!' She hoped Lorelai was doing okay after last night, and made a promise to herself to call her mom after Jess called…if he did, that is. En route to the nearest coffee cart, Rory considered whether or not to tell her mom she was back in touch with Jess. Lorelai had never really liked him…well…she had kind of hated him. _Resented_ him, she mentally amended. For disrespecting and hurting Luke and, of course, for hurting her one and only daughter. Rory decided that it could wait. After all, Jess might not call her back, and if that was the case, she would feel kind of weird calling him again. She felt an unexpected pang as she mused on the possibility of not getting a call back. _Coffee_, she thought to herself, _I just need some coffee_.

Janet, the roommate she had the least contact with, was the only one standing in line at the coffee cart. "Hey," Rory greeted her genially. Paris might want to kill Janet's boyfriend, but Rory really didn't care. It was college; she was sure she'd have to deal with much worse in the coming years.

"Hey," Janet said back, with a nod. "So guess what. Kleebold is gone." Rory raised her eyebrows.

"_Gone _gone?" she asked. Janet shrugged.

"Well, gone from my life, anyhow," she amended. "He was getting annoying. But don't tell Paris, okay? I don't want to give her the satisfaction." Janet flipped her hair over her shoulder and poured some change into the barista's hand.

"Okay," Rory nodded, knowing full well Paris would figure out that the Hulk was gone anyway. You couldn't get anything past that girl. Plus, he was so large that his non-presence would be immediately apparent upon entering the suite.

_Definitely not my type_, Rory thought as she ordered a macchiato. _Then what is my type? _she wondered, thinking of all her past romantic encounters and realizing that they didn't really have anything in common. Unbidden, an image of a certain dark-haired, leather jacket-wearing individual who could probably pull off a pretty convincing 'Adriennnnnnnne!' popped into her head. "Augh!" Rory said out loud, and the barista gave her a weird look. "Just need coffee," Rory laughed awkwardly. Just then, her phone started playing "I Predict" by Sparks, signaling that someone was calling her. Juggling her coffee and her bag, Rory managed to yank out her phone and glance at the caller ID. It was Lorelai.

"Hi, Mom!" Rory chirped into the phone.

"Hey, kid," she heard back. "You sound out of breath. Were you running or something? I've never known my daughter to run unless there was coffee at the end of a racetrack." Rory laughed.

"No, no running today…or ever, if I can avoid it. How are…things?" she asked tactfully, knowing something was going on with her mom but not sure of what it was.

"Better," Lorelai said firmly. "Really better. I talked to Luke and – "

"Luke?" Rory asked, confused, handing the barista a few dollars.

"Yeah, Luke, you know, that grumpy guy that makes me breakfast every morning? Scruffy, baseball cap?" Lorelai joked.

"Yes, Mom, I know who Luke is," Rory said, rolling her eyes. She settled herself on a nearby bench and sipped her coffee. "I'm just wondering how he helped."

"Oh, you know, some talking, some doughnuts, all is well," Lorelai said evasively. Rory furrowed her brow. There was definitely something Lorelai wasn't telling her…but of course, there was something Rory wasn't telling Lorelai. She decided to let it rest for the moment. She hadn't even heard from Jess yet…and she didn't want to admit to herself that when her phone started ringing, she thought it was him.

"Okay," Rory said disbelievingly. "Sure. Any town news I should know about?"

"Well," Lorelai started, "I don't know if I should tell you…but Luke mentioned that Jess might be rolling back into town. Is currently in town, actually…" She trailed off uncertainly. Rory's pulse sped up. She wasn't sure if it was from the caffeine boost…or something else. Who was she kidding? It was definitely from something else.

"Really?" she said into the phone, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible. "Did you see him?"

"No," Lorelai answered, "but I saw his wreck of a car sitting across the street from Luke's, so I assume he's skulking around somewhere."

"Oh wow," Rory muttered, wanting to sound as if this news interested her, but not _too _much. She was in college now, moving on, meeting new people. Right? He definitely wasn't there to see her. Right? She changed the subject and they talked about other, non-Jess-relevant town news (mostly the fact that Kirk was now somehow involved in Boy Scouts as a den mother) for another ten minutes before Lorelai said she was tired. Rory agreeably hung up, wanting to take a little time to herself to think. But she barely had time to take a contemplative sip of her macchiato before her phone started blaring "I Predict" again. The nearby barista softly sang along to her ringtone. Shaking her head, Rory stepped away to take the call. "Speak of the devil," she muttered softly. The caller ID read _Jess Mariano_. She took a deep breath.

"Hello?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: And we finally continue! Two things: One, I know the sign in the pilot says "Population 9973", but that just seems like waaaay more people than actually live in Stars Hollow, so I took a little creative license and made it a lot fewer. Two, I know my cover art for this story is super lame, but I don't have any fancy programs on my computer to make a better one. I would love to have two puzzle pieces, one with Rory's face and one with Jess', but I have zero clue how to make something like that. If anyone can point me in the right direction, it would be much appreciated. **

**Enjoy! And review! Review!**

"Hey, Rory," Jess said. She waited a half-second to see if he would tell her that he was in town right away. He didn't.

"Hi, Jess," she replied. "I'm glad you called me back."

"Are you now?" he said, sounding satisfied with her statement. She waited for him to say something else. If only she didn't know that he was in town. But didn't he know that _she_ knew that he was in town? He must have realized that Luke would probably tell Lorelai, who would obviously tell Rory.

"How's…it going?" she asked, trying to sound casual and failing pretty miserably. She started pacing from one end of the sidewalk to the other.

"Not bad. Considering where I am." _Ah_, she thought with relief, _so he is going to tell me_.

"And where are you?" she asked, playing along.

"Take a guess. Half-mile, one stoplight, roughly five hundred inmates." Rory smiled.

"Hmm, our little haven has its favorite rebel back," she teased. He didn't laugh.

"Hey, Rory, you should know…I've cleaned up my act," he told her seriously. "Much as I despise that expression. I met these two guys, Chris and Matthew, they run a small press below their apartment. So far they've only published, like, three books, but it's coming along, and they're letting me work with them."

"Jess, that's…that's _great_. Wow," Rory said, truly impressed. She could picture him doing that.

"And I'm writing," Jess added. "Nothing's really come of it yet, but when you spend all your time around books and trying to get other people to entrust their books to you…writing yourself just seems kinda natural." Rory's head was spinning a little. This was Jess, the same Jess who crashed her car and set up a fake murder scene and got into fistfights at school? She was flabbergasted. "Rory?" Jess prompted. "You still there?"

"Yeah, yeah," she said breathlessly. "Jess, that's all so amazing. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks," he said, and she could almost see the rare Jess Mariano smile – a real smile, not a smirk – on his face. "Secretly I still like to think I have a little bit of the rebel in me." Rory grinned.

"So relative stability and a job didn't beat it out of you, then?" she questioned.

"Well, I wouldn't call any of this _stability_," Jess said. "I mean, the apartment me and Chris and Matthew share is a dump. And we're barely scraping by. But I much prefer Philadelphia to Venice Beach."

"I can see you in Philadelphia," Rory mused, "but not California. Too hot for your leather jacket, I'd assume." This time Jess did laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, it was way too hot for it. That's at least half the reason why I left," he joked. Rory was curious about what had happened between Jess and his father (she only knew that was why he went to California because she eventually pulled the information out of a reluctant Luke), but she didn't quite know how to ask about it tactfully. There was a brief silence. Then Rory spoke again. She could live without the 411 on his dad, but she needed to know something else.

"So… why are you back in Stars Hollow, Jess? It was never exactly your favorite place." She heard him inhale, and clear his throat.

"Uh…I wanted to see you," he said. "And I needed to give Luke something," he added quickly. "That's why I didn't come straight to New Haven. Plus I didn't want to freak you out by just turning up out of the blue." Rory tried to imagine walking around a corner and seeing Jess standing there, or answering a knock on the door, only to find him on the other side. Yes, it would definitely have freaked her out. "So," Jess continued on the other end of the line, "can I see you?" He sounded hopeful, probably despite himself. Rory grinned…probably despite _her_self.

"Yeah, you can see me," she confirmed. "I only have one morning class tomorrow. Afternoon and evening are free." She started walking back towards Branford.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow afternoon or evening, then," Jess said. "Where should I meet you?" Rory gave him directions to her dorm.

"See you tomorrow," she said happily. He signed off too, and Rory took a deep breath. _Well. This is certainly an interesting turn of events_, she thought to herself as she approached her dorm room. She was definitely a bit wary, considering how she and Jess had left things the last time they'd seen each other, but Jess really sounded as if he had changed. At least, she hoped he'd changed. Rory just hoped he was the same Jess she used to love to hang out with, minus a little of the attitude and irresponsible tendencies. In the suite, Tana was parked on the couch as usual, soldering something or other.

"Tana, you really need to stop doing that," Rory said, trying to hold her breath and running over to open the window. Ignoring her, the younger girl continued to melt what looked like a bicycle attachment. Rory hoped it was from a junk pile and not some poor unsuspecting Yalie's bike.

"Hey, you look a lot better than you did yesterday," Tana pointed out cheerfully. Rory smiled.

"I'm going to have a visitor tomorrow."

"A male visitor?" Paris asked, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

"If you must know, yes, a male visitor. Jess. Remember him? You met once," Rory said, turning to face Paris, who looked very _Paris_ with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

"Well, where am I supposed to sleep?" she asked angrily. "Or did you just assume I'd lie silently in my bed, listening to you two copulate?" Tana slowly stood and shuffled unobtrusively towards her and Janet's room.

"Paris!" Rory exclaimed. "Nothing like that's going to happen." She was blushing hard. The thought _had _crossed her mind, if she was completely honest with herself. But Jess was probably only going to visit for a couple of hours, certainly not overnight. At least, she assumed as much.

"You're blushing," Paris pointed out unnecessarily. "I don't believe you. I'll just go stay – stay with _you-know-who_," she said, obviously meaning Asher but wanting to hide this information from Tana, since she was still within earshot. Paris still resented Rory for telling Lane about Asher and she was desperate to keep it from spreading any further than it had to.

"That's up to you," Rory told her. "But I swear, nothing is going to happen. He'll be in and out, bing bang boom." Too late, she realized the unintentional innuendo in what she'd just said, and she blushed even harder. Paris just raised her eyebrows, as if to say _See? _and went into their room to pack. "And with that," Rory announced to the now-empty room, "I'm going to bed."

**A/N: I ****_swear_**** Jess will finally make his appearance in the next chapter. Remember to review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I decided to bring someone else from Rory's past into the story. This will be his only appearance, though, since I'm not too fond of him. Also, I'm aware that the scene he appears in actually happens later, but it worked, so I'm using it. Artistic license! **

Rory felt jumpy all the next morning. Her brain was hyperaware of every dark-haired boy who walked past. _Is that him? No. Is that him? No_, was the resounding theme of her mental process. She'd decided to stop beating herself up for acting this way – nervous, excited, anticipatory – about her ex-boyfriend. She was going to just go with the flow and let her emotions come and go as they pleased – a very un-Rory-like thing to do. She'd even stopped herself from making a Jess pro-con list last night, a feat of which she was very proud.

12 P.M. came and went and it was officially afternoon. Jess could show up anytime now. Rory decided to stay in Branford for the rest of the day, in case he stopped by and she wasn't there and Paris kicked his butt or something. _His butt? Stop thinking about his butt!_ Rory thought with some alarm.

"Oh, jeez," she said aloud. She sat down on the couch in their shared living space and flipped through a magazine. If you'd quizzed her on its contents later, she wouldn't have been able to tell you who was on the front cover, let alone recall a single article. She flipped on the TV instead, hoping to lose herself in some mindless junk show. She was channel-surfing idly when a knock sounded at the door. _Deep breath_, she told herself. _It's just Jess_. To her great surprise, however, someone else entirely stood behind Door Number One.

"Hey, Rory," Dean said. Rory craned her neck to look up at his face. They'd talked on the phone just the other day (Doomsday, she liked to refer to it, even though dropping a class hadn't turned out to be nearly as catastrophic as she'd imagined), but turning up unexpected (and uninvited) at her dorm was a very un-Dean-like thing to do.

"Um, hi, Dean," she said. "What are you doing here?" Dean gestured to his left, and Rory looked around him to see a bookcase.

"Your mom wanted this for the inn, but it wouldn't fit anywhere, so she asked me to drop it off to you," he said, looking a little uncomfortable. "I mean, I guess she wouldn't be able to carry it by herself, and it's pretty crazy over at the inn, so – "

"Dean, it's fine," Rory interrupted him. "Don't worry about it. Can you bring it inside?" Rory's heart was pounding. If Jess turned up while Dean was still around, it would be very, very bad news. She couldn't blame Dean for hating Jess' guts, though. She still felt a guilty twinge every time she saw or thought about Dean. Falling for Jess while she and Dean were still dating was undoubtedly the cruelest thing she'd ever done.

"I'm not sure it'll fit in here, either," Dean said, gazing around the suite. He was right. If Paris' arts and crafts table wasn't there, it would fit perfectly, but as it was…

"Yeah, I don't know where it would go," Rory agreed, shrugging apologetically at him. "Sorry you dragged it all the way over here for no reason. I don't know what my mom was thinking."

"She was probably thinking…bookcase. Rory has books. She must need one," Dean laughed.

"Yeah, actually, I wouldn't be surprised if that was her thought process exactly," Rory said, smiling.

"It's not so bad in here," Dean commented, leaning against the bookcase. "This is pretty big for a college dorm, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is, but I do have to share it with three other people," said Rory, her eyes darting to the clock on the VCR and back to Dean's face. If only she knew exactly when Jess was coming. He could be on his way at this very moment…or still in Stars Hollow. There was no telling. "Um, Dean, I hate to be rude, but I do have…studying to do. College, you know," Rory said awkwardly.

"Right, right," said Dean. "Sorry. I'll get out of your hair. Which…I like." Rory frowned.

"Huh?"

"Your haircut," Dean explained. "I like it." Rory unconsciously lifted a hand to her shorter tresses.

"Oh, right. Thanks." She smiled again. Dean drummed his fingers on the bookcase and lifted it again. Rory rushed over to hold the door open.

"Sorry again to kick you out," she apologized, meaning it. She hadn't forgotten their discussion over custard pie at Weston's. She still wanted them to be friends. Dean waved away her apology.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I'll see you around, Rory," he said.

"Bye, Dean," Rory replied, not letting her sigh of relief out until the door was safely closed behind him. She noticed she was sweating. These two boys had caused her undue stress in the past few years of her life. She wasn't sure she could handle any more Dean-Jess drama. Rory returned to the couch and settled into a rerun of _Two Fat Ladies_. Two episodes and several cakes, meat pies, stews, and one roly-poly pudding later, another knock came on the suite door. Paris, who had returned by then and was watching the program with Rory, leapt up.

"Ohhh, no," Rory said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to the couch. "I'll get that." Paris folded her arms and glanced pointedly at the suitcase in the corner. Why Paris needed an entire suitcase for one night at Asher's, Rory didn't know, but she had learned long ago not to question any of the strange things Paris did. Rory carefully wiped her sweaty-again palms on her dress (blue with fringe; Jess had once said he liked it) and went to the door. She couldn't help but grin when she saw him standing outside her door, looking very _Jess _in his typical leather jacket, jeans, and a The Clash t-shirt.

"Hey, Jess," she greeted him.

"Hey, Rory," he said back. She opened the door farther to allow him entrance. He stepped forward and past Rory, only to stop in his tracks. Paris was on her feet again, glaring at him.

"Whoa, who's the guard dog?" Jess murmured quietly to Rory.

"That's Paris, remember?" Rory glanced at her and motioned for her to stand down.

"Yeah, I remember," Jess replied. "You hate Bukowski."

"And you hate Jane Austen," Paris returned, grabbing her suitcase. "And I'm off. Don't worry, Holden, you'll have the room all to yourself," she directed at Jess while Rory gesticulated wildly for her to stop. Jess just looked confused.

"What was she talking about?" Jess asked Rory after the door closed.

"I think she meant Holden Caulfield," Rory said quickly. "So, this is – "

"No, about the room," Jess interrupted. Rory put on her best innocent face, but it betrayed her. She was burning red again.

"I, I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "That's just Paris." Jess nodded disbelievingly.

"Uh-huh," he said, in such a way that Rory knew that Paris' comment was going to come back to bite her. "You were saying?"

"Oh, um, this is my suite. Obviously." Rory laughed, meaning to chuckle casually. It came out more like hysterical giggles. _Why am I so nervous? _she thought. _Because it's JESS! _she answered herself.

"When did you cut your hair?" Jess asked, ignoring her insane-person laughter. Again, Rory's fingers came up to stroke her pin-straight strands.

"Um, a few weeks ago," she told him. Jess nodded.

"Yeah, Gypsy said – " He stopped, looking startled. Rory frowned.

"Gypsy said what? Did Gypsy tell you I cut my hair?" She wondered why Gypsy and Jess had been discussing her.

"No," said Jess, a little too quickly. "Which room's yours?" he asked. Not the smoothest of segues, but Rory would take it willingly. She was going to wonder about that Gypsy comment, though.

"This one," she said, unthinkingly grabbing Jess' hand and leading him a few steps before she became aware of herself and dropped it. "Sorry!" She blushed.

"Don't apologize," Jess said, staring her dead in the eyes. Rory stopped and stared back. She swallowed hard. This was a lot harder than she'd thought it would be. Jess took her hand back and Rory just gazed down at their interlocked fingers.

"What are you doing, Jess?" she asked quietly. He paled.

"Oh, do you – are you with someone?" he asked, cringing visibly. "I didn't think – " Rory cut him off, grabbing him and pulling him to her. She kissed him square on the mouth. Taken aback, Jess just stood there for a moment, then Rory took his hands and placed them on her waist and he came around to himself. He kissed her back in earnest, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her. _I can't believe I'm doing this_, Rory thought, shocked at her own boldness. She was never the type to instigate things when it came to boys. Except that one time with the laundry room guy, and that had clearly worked out _so _well, so she hadn't done it again. _Stop thinking_, Rory instructed herself firmly. Jess' lips were on hers and she wasn't even paying attention.

Jess tried to deepen the kiss, and while Rory desperately wanted to keep kissing him for, oh, another few days or so, she pulled away gently.

"What?" Jess asked, his face still only inches away from hers. "Bad?"

"No, no, not bad," Rory said, a little out of breath. "Good." She cringed. Words, she needed to say words that were more than one syllable. "Jess, I just – we haven't talked about anything, and while I can assure you that I'm thoroughly enjoying…_this_," she said, pointing to him and then to herself, "I…well…don't you think we should talk?" Jess relaxed his grip on her waist, but didn't let go. Rory admitted to herself that she really didn't want him to let go of her. They could just stand here, arms wrapped around each other, and talk. _Great strategy_, Rory thought, mentally rolling her eyes at herself. _Like there will be a lot of talking as long as he's within kissing distance_. Jess was staring absently at some point past Rory's shoulder.

"Yeah," he said reluctantly, and plopped down on the couch. The room seemed to cool a few degrees as he let go of her. "Comfy couch," he commented.

"My grandmother bought it for us," Rory said, sitting down at the opposite end. Jess raised his eyebrows.

"Ah, and how is the Gilmore matriarch?" Rory thought back to the one and only time Jess and Grandma had met. Emily had been a trooper, but Rory was positive that Jess had made a singularly terrible impression on her.

"She's, she's good," Rory said distractedly. Her face still felt hot and her brain insisted on replaying what had just happened on an endless loop. She crossed her legs and straightened her dress, just to have something to do with her hands. "Jess," she said softly, staring down at her knees. "Why did you want to see me?"

**A/N: Aaaaand…SCENE. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review more and I'll write more!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I wrote more even though I didn't get many new reviews…I just can't help myself. The pull of Literati is too strong. This chapter's short, but hopefully it will be satisfying...*in Lorelai's voice* Dirty!**

_"Jess," she said softly, staring down at her knees. "Why did you want to see me?"_

Rory turned to meet his soft brown eyes with her bright blue ones.

"I miss you, Rory," Jess said, clearing his throat a little as if the words were sticking in his esophagus. "I walk around Philadelphia, I work, I read, I read some more, and…it all feels like there's a piece missing. Like everything I'm doing is just slightly off-kilter, just a little bit wrong. It didn't take long for me to figure out that what was missing was you." He hadn't taken his gaze away from her face the entire time he was talking. "Matthew and Chris keep trying to set me up on dates with all these girls, and they're all…_wrong_. I keep looking for you instead, but you're not there." His face grew somber and determined. "So…I wanted to see you because I – I made a mistake, Rory. A huge one. When I ran away to California. I _hated _leaving you. That _was _me on the phone all those times. I just couldn't come up with the words." Jess edged closer to Rory on the couch. She was staring at him, almost not able to believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. She had wished for this so many times – _"What would Jess say to me if I ever saw him again? I mean, he just took off, no note, no call, nothing, how could he explain that?"_ He was explaining. Or at least trying to.

"Jeez, I never talk this much," Jess was saying, and Rory was pulled out of her reverie. He chuckled ruefully. Rory just stared at him, and his expression sobered. "Rory, I meant what I said at the Firelight Festival. I wasn't just saying it to get you back. It wasn't just a means to an end. I love you, Rory Gilmore." His voice grew very quiet, but she didn't have to lean in to hear him. You could hear a pin drop in the suite just then. _Do I want this? _Rory was wondering silently. _Can I go through this again, if he hurts me like he did last time? _Jess was staring at her now and she examined him carefully. He was not the same Jess who sat next to her on the bus, not telling her he wasn't going to come back and he wasn't going to call her. He was not even the same Jess who had chased after her around the town square not long ago. He was sincere and thoughtful and hopeful – all the best parts of Jess Mariano that had been overshadowed by his unreliability, his silence when she needed to talk, his surliness. _We're older now_, Rory realized, amazed at how much had happened between graduation and starting her first year at Yale.

"Jess, I…I can't say it back yet," Rory told him, and his face fell. "But we can try." He smiled.

"Yeah?"

Rory nodded vigorously, more sure of herself now that she'd said the words out loud.

"Yeah," she confirmed. Jess schooched down the couch and wrapped his arms around her again, and Rory only felt more and more certain with each passing second. She embraced him without hesitation.

"I swear, Rory," Jess said, his breath tickling the hairs on the back of her neck, "I'm going to try this time. I never really _tried _in a relationship before. Not even us." Rory couldn't help smiling into his shoulder.

"I just wanna take it slow," Rory said cautiously, remembering the night of the party and the incident in the bedroom upstairs. Still holding her tightly, Jess nodded.

"I think we should," he murmured. "But…hey, we already kissed, so can I do that again?" Rory felt his smile against her cheek as he pulled back slightly. In response, she turned her head and found his lips with her own.

**A/N: Yayyy, Literati! This kinda feels like the end of this story, but I might hold onto it, much like a Rottweiler holds onto a chew toy (weird analogy, sorry). Even though I have my other story, I got very attached to this one. It was my first fanfic ever. Please let me know in the reviews if you 1. liked this chapter and 2. want me to continue or not. Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I've made the executive decision to continue on with Puzzle Pieces. I can't let them go off into the world without my guidance! They might break up again! **

**P.S. Our favorite rebel isn't actually IN this chapter, but he is spoken about.**

"You're back with Jess?!" Lane and Rory were perched on Rory's bed in Stars Hollow. It was early Saturday morning. Rory nodded, grinning.

"Yes. And I know Jess was never your favorite person in the world…" she said uncertainly. Lane shook her head.

"But he's obviously yours," she replied, grinning back. "So it's fine. It's great! I'm so happy for you, Rory!" Lane reached over and hugged Rory, then pulled back, suddenly looking concerned. "Does Lorelai know?" she asked in a hushed tone. The elder Gilmore was still snoozing upstairs. Rory bit her lip.

"No…not yet." She sighed. "If Jess wasn't _your _favorite person, he _definitely _wasn't my mom's. I don't know how to tell her."

Lane considered this for a moment. "Does Luke know?" she asked.

Rory frowned. "I have no idea," she admitted. "After we kissed" – here Lane squealed again and Rory blushed – "after we kissed, Paris came storming back in, claiming she'd forgotten her toothbrush." She rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure she didn't forget her toothbrush."

"She's like your guard dog. You should nickname her Killer," said Lane.

"I'm sure she'd just love that. Anyway, so Killer came storming in, and Jess got all uncomfortable because she wouldn't stop firing questions at him, so he decided to go back to Philly for a couple of days. He had to go back to work, anyway."

"How did you leave it?"

"He said he would call me today," Rory said, pulling out her phone and glancing at it. It was way too early for Jess to be awake, though. "I'm pretty sure Luke doesn't know," Rory continued, although she still looked uncertain. "It's not like he and Jess talk all the time and hold hands and skip." She laughed aloud at the image. Then she sighed. "Which means Luke won't tell my mom, so I have to do it. This should be fun," she ended sarcastically. Lane was observing her, a strange look on her face. "What?" Rory asked, puzzled.

"You're different."

"Different how?"

"You're different when you're with Jess," Lane explained. "Not _bad _different," she added quickly as Rory's mouth opened to retort. "You seem more – you. More yourself. You're not afraid to say things." Lane smiled. "I might not _love _Jess Mariano, but if he brings out the best in Rory Gilmore, I have no problem with him." Rory leaned over to give her best friend another hug, feeling a warm glow inside. It was going to work this time, her and Jess. It had to.

"Rory?" Lorelai's grouchy early-morning voice called from the stairs. "Did you make coffee? Because I don't think I even have the mental capacity to pour grounds into the coffeemaker right now." Lorelai pushed open Rory's bedroom door and smiled. "Oh, hi, Lane!"

Rory shook her head in response to her mother's question, grimacing. "I did not make coffee," she said, then ducked her head and wrapped her arms around herself as if preparing for an attack.

"I'm too tired to hit you," Lorelai said, flopping her arm listlessly to demonstrate her lack of motivation.

Rory sat up straight again. "Luke's?" she suggested, looking back and forth from her mother to Lane, who both nodded vehemently.

As the trio of girls trudged their way into town, Rory said, "You know, I don't understand how you don't have the mental capacity to pour coffee grounds in our own kitchen, but you managed to throw together a cute outfit, put makeup on, and are willing to walk the 500 yards or so to Luke's."

Lorelai just looked at her. "Daughter of mine," she said, "have you not learned my ways? Luke makes coffee a billion and a half times better than I do. It's worth the trek. And the outfit. And the makeup."

"All it takes is a little caffeinated motivation," Rory concluded, and Lorelai nodded deeply, still looking utterly fatigued. She was walking a little behind Lane and Rory, so Rory slowed her pace and fell into step with her mom. "Is everything still okay?" she asked in a low tone, not sure if Lorelai wanted Lane to know about whatever difficulty she'd been having lately.

"Aw, hon," Lorelai said, wrapping an arm around Rory's shoulders, "everything's fine. I promise. Opening your own inn is stressful, and I just kind of forgot how to deal with it for a day."

"Coffee will help?" Rory asked.

"Coffee will _definitely _help, especially if it's of the Luke's variety," Lorelai said as they approached the diner. Rory smiled, but she felt a guilty twinge just being with her mother. There was still a major secret between them, and Lorelai didn't even know. _I'll tell her…soon_, Rory resolved. She glanced at her mom's haggard, coffee-deprived expression. _After she's had a vat or two of coffee_, she added mentally.

They were in the diner no more than two minutes, huge cups of coffee steaming before each of them, when Lorelai, looking thoughtful, asked, "Do you think Luke's dating anyone?"

"You've asked that before," Rory pointed out suspiciously.

"Have I?" Lorelai said dreamily. Rory and Lane followed her gaze and it landed squarely on a certain grouchy diner owner, who was berating Kirk for something or other, his back turned to the girls.

"_Mom_!" Rory said, feigning shock. It was no secret to anyone that Lorelai and Luke were supposed to be together, but the pair insisted on denying it. You only had to spend two seconds with them to see that they belonged with each other.

"What?" Lorelai asked, putting on her best innocent face. It didn't fool Rory, though. She jutted her chin towards Luke, who looked as if he was about to strangle Kirk. Lorelai glanced over and quickly changed the subject. "What do we want for breakfast?" she mused. "Pancakes? Eggs?"

"I'll make you my special cinnamon French toast," Luke muttered, suddenly right behind her, making her jump a mile. Rory and Lane covered their mouths to hide their grins.

"Oh, that – that sounds great, thanks, Luke," Lorelai stuttered, pretending that he hadn't just scared the living daylights out of her.

"Three French toasts?" Luke inquired, glancing at each of their faces. Rory and Lane nodded while Lorelai tried to get her heart to stop racing.

"Sounds great, Luke!" Lorelai said in a strangled-sounding way. She glanced up and both Rory and Lane were staring at her, knowing smiles on their faces. "Oh, shut up," Lorelai muttered. Meanwhile, Rory took a deep breath, preparing herself. She realized that the sooner she told her mom about Jess, the better, and now was as good a time as any.

"Hey, Mom?" she said.

"I said shut up!" Lorelai complained.

"No, I want to talk to you about something. Not Luke." Rory's heart started to beat faster as her nerves got the better of her. "Can we go outside for a sec?"

"Uh, sure, I guess," Lorelai said. _Good luck_, Lane mouthed to Rory as the mother and daughter stood up. _Thanks_, Rory mouthed back silently.

"You might want to be sitting for this," Rory warned Lorelai, steering her towards a bench near the gazebo. Lorelai looked apprehensive.

"Are you about to tell me you enlisted? Because I really don't think camo works for you, hon," she joked, her usual defense mechanism when she was trying to hide her concern.

"No army for me," Rory assured her. They sat down. "It's about – Jess…" she said, trailing off. Lorelai suddenly looked confused and defensive at the same time. Ever the multi-tasker, Lorelai often felt differing emotions simultaneously. Rory and Luke were the best at deciphering them.

"Is he still in town?" Lorelai asked. "I thought he would have left by now."

"Well, he did leave," Rory said hesitantly, "yesterday, but before that…he came to Yale."

"Okay…" Lorelai said slowly. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Rory fidgeted uncomfortably. "A lot happened, actually," she said, staring down at her knees. "And – Mom, Jess and I are back together. We're trying dating again." Rory glanced up to gage her mom's reaction.

"Did you sleep together?" Lorelai asked bluntly.

Rory blushed crimson. "Mom! No!"

"Well, you said a lot happened, so I wasn't sure if 'a lot' included…that," Lorelai explained, blushing just a bit herself. Rory shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, it might. Eventually. But not now," she assured her mom. "I'll still tell you," she added, recalling her promise to tell Lorelai when it was going to happen. Lorelai looked thoughtful.

"Does Luke know?" she questioned.

Rory shook her head. "Don't think so," she said. "Jess and Luke aren't exactly the Chatty Cathys you and I are."

"Hm," Lorelai said, "you're right about that." She smiled at Rory. "So. Good talk."

"Yeah?" Rory said hopefully.

Lorelai nodded and put her arm around her daughter. "I trust your instincts, hon. They've never steered you wrong so far. Now let's go see about that French toast." The pair strolled back to the diner, arms around one another's shoulders.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Ah, Jess and Rory: The Later Years. About Lorelai's reaction last chapter: yes, I think she would have freaked out under different circumstances, but consider that Rory's in college now. Lorelai expects her to make her own decisions, and we see later in the series that she (however begrudgingly) accepts Rory's on-again, off-again relationship with the jerk (aka Logan). And at least Rory's not cheating with Dean! I also think Lorelai would want to give Jess a chance because of Luke. Anyway, enjoy!**

"Hey, Jess?" Rory said. He looked up from his book. They were sitting on a bench in Jess' favorite Philly park, Rittenhouse Square. Rory was visiting for the weekend, her first time in Philadelphia. "Have you told Luke about…this?" She made an awkward circling gesture around the two of them.

"We're adults now, Rory, you can call it a relationship," Jess said dryly.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Fine, then, have you told Luke about our _relationship_?" She secretly glowed to hear him call it that.

"No," Jess said, turning back to his book.

"Well…don't you think he should know? I mean, I told my mom already. Like a month ago." The only reason Luke hadn't found out yet was because Lorelai was (uncharacteristically) keeping their secret, at least for the time being, and Rory and Jess simply weren't around enough for Luke to notice.

Jess shrugged. "Look, my uncle and I aren't exactly chummy. We don't have hours-long gab sessions every night. I'll mention it at some point." He considered for a moment, looking up at the sky. "Or the town might take care of that, if your mom knows."

Rory frowned. She didn't want Luke to find out by overhearing Miss Patty and Babette gossiping about them. "My mom hasn't told anyone in town, I don't think. Call him," she said insistently.

Jess made a face. "I never call Luke. And I don't have my cell phone; I left it in the apartment after you told me what station you were at. I'm still not used to carrying one," he said. He insisted that he still didn't believe in cell phones, but had reluctantly gotten an ancient flip-phone at some point.

"Fine, I'll call him," Rory said matter-of-factly, pulling out her own phone. Jess frowned at it. It was too fancy, he'd said the first time she pulled it out in front of him. Rory glanced at the expression on his face. "At least I don't have a Kindle," she said, and he nodded in agreement.

"Disgusting," he muttered. They agreed that e-readers were the bane of literature's existence. Rory held her phone up to her ear, listening to it ring.

"Luke's Diner," she heard after a few moments.

"Luke, it's Rory."

"Rory! Hello! Are you trying to reach your mom?" He sounded confused as to why she might be calling him. Rory couldn't blame him.

"Um, no. I took a trip for the weekend…" Rory said, suddenly feeling a little nervous. Luke was closer to being her father than Christopher had ever been, and there was, of course, the added complication that Jess was his nephew. She took a deep breath. "To Philadelphia," she finished.

"Oh, uh, well, I hear it's a great city. I've never been, but…" Luke trailed off, obviously still lost.

"I'm with Jess," Rory said very quickly, ignoring Jess' smirk. She decided to get it all out at once before Luke could even react. "We're dating again." There. She'd said it.

"Oh. Oh wow. Does your mom know?" Luke asked. He sounded ominously calm.

"Yes," Rory heard Lorelai answer in the background. She must have been sitting right at the counter, in front of the cash register. Rory heard a scuffle and then Luke berating Lorelai.

"You knew about this?" he demanded.

"Yup," Lorelai said.

Rory glanced at Jess. "Luke seems mad," she whispered.

"What else is new?" said Jess.

"Put Jess on the phone," Luke growled suddenly. Rory's eyes widened at his tone and she quickly passed the phone over to her boyfriend.

"Hello?" Jess said, casually as could be. Rory couldn't hear what Luke was saying and Jess' expression gave her no clues. After a moment, he smirked, then hung up the phone.

"Well?" Rory said with some trepidation. "What'd he say?"

Jess shifted on the bench and put his arm around her shoulders. "It's fine."

Rory frowned. "It's fine?" she repeated. "He sounded really angry."

"It seemed like Lorelai was calming him down. She said we're not kids anymore and we can make decisions for ourselves, I'm not the same 'hooligan' I once was, etc." Jess paused thoughtfully. "It's not like your mom to stick up for me."

"I know," Rory replied. "But she seemed totally fine with it when I told her. And all that stuff she said _is_ true, after all. I mean, after I told her, I explained how you were doing better, working with books, living in Philadelphia, writing…"

Jess nodded, his nose already buried back in his book. "Dear Uncle Luke also mentioned he'd kick my ass if I hurt you again," he said casually. Rory couldn't help but smile. There was her protective Luke.

"I think your ass is safe for the time being," she said. She picked up her own paperback for a moment, then put it back down. "It's a big deal for my mom to approve of this, you know," she informed Jess.

"Yes, it's very big of her," he muttered, then glanced at Rory, who was glaring at him. "I mean, yes, it is a big deal. I'm glad we get the Lorelai stamp of approval. I don't know if we'll ever convince Taylor, though." He half-smiled. "Wanna get a hot dog?"

Rory grinned. "You know a place?" She knew they were both thinking of the day she had skipped school to go to New York and see him.

"I know a place."

"So when are you going to show me where you work?" Rory asked, her mouth full of hot dog. She'd gotten three – one with ketchup, one with mustard and onions, and one with ketchup and relish. The guy had stared at her crazily when she ordered, but Jess just shook his head and ordered his usual 'everything.' "And your apartment?" Rory continued. "I get to see my boyfriend's apartment, don't I?" She had a look on her face that told Jess she'd have her hands on her hips, if her hands weren't so full of hot dog.

"All right, all right, yes, you get to see where your boyfriend works. And his apartment," Jess agreed. He slung an arm around her and guided her down the street. "It's about three blocks this way." Rory smiled in satisfaction and continued on to her second hot dog. She was done with her third and final one by the time they arrived in front of the building.

"Truncheon," Rory read off the sign. "I like it."

Jess fiddled with his keys and let them inside. "No touching the books if your hands are all ketchuppy," he warned Rory.

"I would _never_," she said indignantly, and held up her hands for inspection.

"Okay, you're clear," Jess said after examining them for condiment traces. He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her to the middle of the room. "So this is Truncheon," he said. "It's pretty chaotic." Indeed, the three desks that took up most of the space were piled high with papers, novels, and other miscellany.

"What happens over there?" Rory asked, pointing with her free hand to the corner where a microphone was set up.

"We do poetry readings sometimes, stuff like that," Jess explained. "We let artists hang up their work without ripping them off on commissions." He gestured to a few paintings that hung on the wall. "We do a 'zine too, once a month."

"How many books have you guys published?"

"Just two," Jess said humbly. "But it's about to be three." He threw his keys on one of the desks and patted a small bundle of papers. Rory glanced at him, wide-eyed, and walked over to the desk.

"Is this what you've been writing?" she asked excitedly. Jess nodded, looking embarrassed. "Can I?" She picked the manuscript up carefully, as if it would crumble into dust in her hands. "_The Subsect_," she read aloud. "Good title! 'By Jess Mariano'." She grinned. "Wow."

"That's how I fell in with Chris and Matthew," Jess explained, running his fingers over the as-yet unpublished pages. "I was working on it in a coffee shop down the street and these two crazy guys came right up to me and started talking to me, asking if I was an author and what I was writing about." Jess smiled at the memory. "I blew them off at first, but they kept coming back and bothering me until I let them read some of what I'd written." He shoved his right hand in his pocket and scratched the back of his head with his free hand in a very Luke-like gesture. He just didn't have a baseball cap to readjust. "I think I was the only guy in there who was writing with a pen and paper instead of a laptop. I guess they liked it, so…here we are." He smiled sheepishly at Rory, who was beaming.

"I'll wait to read it until you're done," she assured him, showing that she understood the privacy a writer needed. "This is amazing," she said truthfully, sweeping an arm around the room. "Now…do I get to see upstairs?"

"Uh…it's pretty disgusting up there," Jess said, hemming and hawing. "You know, three dudes, living together…"

Rory shrugged. "Have you seen how my mother and I live?" she asked. "If I didn't clean once in a while, I swear Mom would just be sitting on a pile of empty takeout containers instead of a chair. I've seen it all," she assured him. "Lorelai once brushed cupcake crumbs under the sink rather than clean them up."

"Okay, you asked for it," Jess said warningly. He led the path upstairs.

**A/N: Haha, I bet you hate me for leaving it there. The next chapter's already written. I'll post it soon…but not ****_too _****soon. ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I hate to ruin the surprise, but I feel like I have to give fair warning. Things might get a little less T and a little more M in this chapter. Please avert your eyes if you think this will offend your delicate sensibilities; if not, read on!**

Jess glanced once more at Rory before opening the door. She smiled encouragingly. Jess pushed open the door and let Rory lead the way inside. He saw the room, their shared living space, through her eyes, and winced. There were t-shirts and dirty jeans strewn everywhere, and an unfortunate pair of boxers lay right near his foot. He kicked them underneath the couch before she could spot them. Takeout containers of varying shapes, sizes, and cleanliness lined the coffee table. The sink was mercifully free of dirty dishes – mostly because they usually ate right out of the container, with plastic forks if they could help it. A tiny TV sat in the corner, rabbit ears poking out from the top. Jess looked at Rory, but her expression was unreadable.

"This is my room," he said quietly, pushing open another door. It used to be the catchall room for Matthew and Chris before he had moved in with them, so there were lots of odds and ends in it, as well as Jess' bed, side table, and dresser. _It's cleaner in here, at least_, Jess thought. He tried to dust once in a while, and kept all traces of food out of the room so he wouldn't wake up to a roach staring him in the face. "So…" he said timidly, glancing at Rory again. To his surprise, she hopped right up on his bed and crossed her legs, looking perfectly at home.

"So where are all your books?" she asked. Surprised that she hadn't commented on the state of the place, Jess silently opened the closet to display several dozen paperbacks, a few hardbacks, and a couple of shirts there hadn't been space for in his dresser.

Rory grinned. "I'm all about using unlikely space to store books," she said. "As you know." She remembered the first time she'd ever met Jess, how he had looked at all of her books and even stolen one of them: _Howl_. It had come back with the most insightful marginalia she'd ever seen. She suspected that was the moment she'd fallen for him, though she hadn't actually acknowledged it until months later.

"Just don't go in the bathroom, okay?" Jess said, sitting next to Rory on his bed. She laughed until she caught the expression on his face.

"Okay, I won't, I won't," she consented. She smiled again. "I'm glad you showed me all this, Jess."

He shrugged. "You showed me your place," he pointed out. Rory had gotten the chance to give him a short tour of her suite at Yale before he'd left. Jess bemoaned the fact that she shared a room with the dreaded Paris, but Rory had mentioned that Paris could just go stay with Asher whenever she and Jess wanted the room to themselves. She'd blushed saying this, all too aware of what it implied.

The same blush found its way onto her cheeks now, and she looked down at her knees. Despite her unshakeable certainty that _this _time, she and Jess were going to work, she still felt a little shy around him, particularly when he kissed her or touched her any more intimately than a handshake. Although they'd previously been a couple for more than six months, the fateful night of Kyle's party was the closest they'd ever been to… The crimson flush coloring Rory's face deepened as her thoughts drifted. She knew she needed to make a decision. She glanced up to see Jess watching her.

"Hey," he said quietly. "You're blushing." His trademark half-smile was on his face. He reached out to stroke her hair and smooth the tresses between his fingers. It was already getting longer. He decided he liked it that way. It made him think of good memories. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" he asked. She smiled one of her many different smiles – Jess was familiar with all of them, from her truly-happy, laughing-for-the-sake-of-laughter smile to her I'm-really-uncomfortable-but-trying-to-be-polite smile. The one she was smiling right now was one Jess knew too, but he didn't know that Paris might have called it her 'Harlequin Romance' smile.

Her decision made, Rory leaned over and gently pressed her lips to his, slipping a hand around his waist. To Jess' great surprise, she leaned back, settling herself on his pillow, and pulled him so that he was lying on top of her. Jess took the hint and continued kissing her, trying his best to hover above her so he wouldn't crush her, but she pulled him down so their legs entangled and her hands were on his face, holding him in place. The room seemed suddenly much too warm, but Jess hesitated before taking off his jacket.

"Rory," he breathed, "I'm just gonna take off my jacket. I'm not – trying anything. Okay?" In silent answer, her hands dragged from his face down to his lapels, where she helped him push it off and to the side. "Rory," he said again, softly, caressing the side of her face down to her collarbone. He kissed along it, up to the other side, where he dragged his lips over her throat, tempting a sigh from her.

"Jess," she said, and he delighted in hearing her say his name. "Jess. Can I take off my coat?" He stiffened, then chuckled into her shoulder.

"Sorry! Yeah." He lifted himself up so she had enough space to peel off her coat.

She tossed it aside and grinned up at him. "I like being here with you," she whispered. "Come here."

Jess obligingly lay back down, now to her side so he wouldn't stifle her. He was always so aware of how delicate she seemed, so thin and pale. As if to prove him wrong, Rory wrapped one leg around him to hold him in place (like he was going _anywhere_) and resumed her exploration of Jess' mouth. He felt her hands at his sides, then they were lifting his t-shirt. "Rory?" he said questioningly. She didn't reply, just pushed his shirt up farther until he consented and lifted his arms so she could pull it all the way off.

She scanned his torso, every inch of muscle she'd never laid eyes on before, and he watched surprise pop onto her face. "You have a tattoo?" she questioned. He nodded.

"Does that bother you?" he asked, only because it seemed to bother a lot of people. Putting something on your body that would stay there forever was a concept that repelled most.

Rory shook her head. "No." She leaned under his arm to get a better look at the words tracing his upper bicep. He watched her mouth silently pronounce them: _boxcars boxcars boxcars_. Her head jerked up and she beamed. "From _Howl_!" she cried triumphantly. He knew she'd get it right away. "Does it hurt?" she asked, looking worried. He couldn't hide his smile.

"No, I got it ages ago," he told her. "It stops hurting after a week or two. Then it's just a part of you." Still cautious, Rory gripped his bicep lightly and pulled him down to her again. She shifted a little underneath him and Jess sank back into the moment.

"Jess...I don't want to be shy anymore," Rory whispered, her blue gaze meeting his brown one. She grasped the hem of her blouse and tugged it over her head. Jess couldn't help but groan quietly, a little _mm _in the back of his throat, and his fingers automatically reached out to trace the edges of her bra, her stomach, her ribs, before he caught himself. It took a conscious effort for him to pull away. Her sky blue eyes darkened in disappointment. "Why did you stop?"

"Rory, I – you didn't want this, remember? Not yet." Jess avoided her gaze, leaning back, away from her.

"That was over a month ago," Rory pointed out. "That was then. This is now." A smile quirked its way onto her face as she realized she was unconsciously quoting a Monkees song. "Let me prove my love, girl, I'll make you proud," she continued, barely able to keep a straight face. Jess looked at her like she was insane.

"Did you just quote the Monkees at me?" he asked incredulously. Rory dissolved into giggles. "Jeez, of all the authors out there, of all the words you could've quoted, you chose…_the_ _Monkees_." Jess shook his head. "Only Rory Gilmore." She grinned up at him, still giggling a bit, but his face was suddenly serious again. "Really, Rory," he said more quietly. "Are you sure? I want you to be sure." He lay back down next to her without breaking eye contact. His inhales and exhales seemed much louder than usual. He wanted her so badly he felt like his body was barely enough to contain it, but he was afraid of hurting her again, of doing the wrong thing, of messing up like he always did.

"Close the door," Rory whispered. He didn't have to leave the bed to reach it. "I love you too, Jess," she said when he lay back down next to her, finally giving him the answer he'd hoped for more than a month ago, and even before then. With all the words in the English language, even in other languages, he could not describe the way he felt in that moment. "I'm sure," she said finally, stroking his hair.

All the times he'd imagined Rory telling him she loved him back, hoping, praying she'd say _yes_ to him, they could never compare to reality. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and smiled big, bigger than Rory had ever seen him smile. "I love you," he murmured. It became a mantra as he said it over and over again, as he unfastened her jeans and his own, as she helped him undress completely, as they pressed their bodies together, skin to skin, totally free of boundaries, physical or emotional.

"I love you, Rory."

"I love you too, Jess."

**A/N: Now, I'm going to need lots and lots of feedback on this chapter, because I'm very uncertain about it. Was this ****_okay_****, or do you think I'm crap at writing sex scenes? And did anyone seem OOC, particularly Rory? Please tell me.**

**P.S. I know Rory just told Lorelai she'd tell her when 'it' was going to happen last chapter, but she'll tell Lorelai ASAP, trust me. And it won't be as horrible as what happened in the series, since it was Jess, not Dean, and Jess is not married. Or a douchebag. Oops.**

**N.B. Much as I'd like to, I cannot take credit for Jess' tattoo. A classmate in college had the exact same one, so even though she will never read this, thanks for the inspiration, Kit.**

**P.P.S. Stay in school and use a condom, kids.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I got a question in my reviews about whether or not Logan's going to be in this story. That question will be answered now (or in a few paragraphs, at least).**

Sunday afternoon, Jess escorted Rory down to 30th Street so she could catch her bus back to New Haven. "You have a car," Jess pointed out, "why don't you drive down next time?"

"I kinda like public transportation," she shrugged. "But I could take my car sometime, if you show me where to park it."

"Street parking's a lot easier in Philly than it is in New York," Jess assured her. They were both too aware that this would be the last time they'd see each other for at least another month. College and co-running a publishing house didn't allow for much free time. Jess wanted to keep stalling, but at the same time, he didn't want her to miss her bus…well, he _did_, but he knew she had to leave eventually, so he led her the last block to the bus stop and squeezed the hand he was holding. Rory smiled sadly and set her bag down before throwing herself into his arms. "Oof!" he said, pretending she weighed more than ten ounces.

_"Be careful with her," Luke warned. Jess gave Rory, sitting next to him on the park bench, a sidelong glance. "I mean it. Treat her like she's made out of glass. Or porcelain. Or something else that breaks really, really easily. And don't ever forget that if you _do _break her again, about three dozen Stars Hollowites – Stars Hollowians – whatever, people from Stars Hollow will be after your blood. Including me. And Lorelai. I'd be more afraid of Lorelai, if I were you."_

_"Yeah!" Jess heard Lorelai shout in the background._

_"Keep her in one piece, Jess," Luke said finally. "Or I will kick your ass."_

Even though Jess knew Luke had meant not to hurt Rory emotionally, not physically, he cradled her in his arms carefully, as if she might fall apart if he squeezed any harder. "I love you, Jess," Rory said, those startlingly blue eyes pouring into his own brown ones. He ran his fingers through her hair, smiling. She could say those words over and over for the rest of eternity; he'd never grow tired of hearing them.

"I love you too, Rory," he returned, picking up her bag to help load it into the bus' underbelly. He turned back to fill his eyes with her one more time – _It's a month; it'll go by quick_, he tried to convince himself – and she reached for him again.

"One more hug," she insisted. He complied – no complaints here. "And one more kiss," she said more softly, running her fingers down either side of his face and pulling him to her.

"How could I resist?" he muttered before their lips met. God, he would miss that.

"Say goodbye to Chris and Matthew for me," she said, slowly pulling away. "And be good." Rory reluctantly boarded the bus.

"I'll try," he called back, standing there and watching until the bus pulled away. His head bowed, Jess trudged back to Truncheon. He had a lot of work to catch up on, considering he'd had quite a distraction throughout the weekend, but he wasn't at all sure he'd be able to get any done now, either.

/

As the bus groaned its way to a halt somewhere in Manhattan, Rory sighed and stretched. She'd fallen asleep on the ride up. And there was still at least an hour to go until New Haven.

"You've got quite a looker there," somebody to her left said.

"Huh?" Rory said, frowning and looking around.

"Your boyfriend," the woman explained. She was sitting alone in the seat across the way. "I would have said something before, but you fell asleep as soon as you sat down."

Rory blushed. "Oh, um, thanks, I mean, I didn't have anything to do with the way he turned out, but…"

"Yes, you did," the woman said cryptically. She left the bus before Rory could say something. Shrugging – people on buses were often pretty strange; she could never forget the man who spit into a can the entire ride back to Hartford a few years back – Rory exited the bus too. The woman was nowhere in sight. _Nothing gained, nothing lost._ Rory glanced at her watch and hurried down the block. She had a few minutes before the bus left and she desperately needed coffee.

/

As the bus ground to another grudging stop in New Haven, Rory sighed and disembarked as quickly as she could. Her legs were stiff and her back hurt from the unforgiving bus seat. _Definitely taking my car next time_, she mentally noted. It was a nice night, just a bit chilly, so she decided to walk the few blocks back to Yale instead of calling a cab. She was short on money anyway.

Halfway there, Rory thought she heard a noise behind her. She whipped around, but the street was empty. Her steps quickened and she held her weekend bag more securely to her side. Then she heard it again. She broke into a slow jog. _At least I'm wearing sensible shoes for once_, she thought, trying to assuage her own fear.

"Hey."

"Gah!" Rory exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her skin. Still walking, she turned around to find the source of the "hey." A clean-cut blond boy who looked to be a year or two Rory's senior was suddenly walking beside her. She glanced at him nervously, thinking _fight or flight? Fight or flight? _but he didn't seem to want to hurt her or take her money. He looked like he _had _money, and plenty of it. "Don't scare me like that," she chided the stranger.

"Sorry," he said, shrugging. "I saw a pretty girl walking home alone and my gallant self just couldn't allow for your safety to be put in danger." _Smooth talker, huh? _Rory thought. She was unimpressed so far.

"I guess you can walk with me, I mean, there's no law against that, but I was fine," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder like she hadn't been terrified two minutes ago.

"You look very self-sufficient," the blond boy assured her, with just a tinge of sarcasm. "I'm Logan, by the way. Logan Huntzberger." He held out his hand, still keeping pace with her. Rory glanced at it and begrudgingly shook it.

"Rory Gilmore," she said shortly. Then a look of recognition came onto her face. "Wait, did you say Huntzberger? As in Mitchum Huntzberger?"

"Daddy Dearest," Logan confirmed, seeming pleased that she knew the name. _He must be used to that_, Rory thought. Mitchum Huntzberger owned several tri-state area newspapers. Any journalism major would have recognized the name.

"Huh," Rory said disinterestedly. A famous father did not a worthy son make. Logan made a shocked-sounding guffaw.

"I think that's the fastest a girl has ever lost interest in me," he said, the smile on his face indicating that he wasn't done with Rory yet.

She rolled her eyes. "Ten-point-two seconds. Must be a record."

Logan's eyes narrowed. "I can take a hint," he replied, looking more annoyed than amused now. They were back on Yale grounds.

"My dorm's right over there," Rory said, pointing in a vague direction so he wouldn't follow her and find out where she lived. "Bye."

Logan raised his eyebrows. "Uh, bye," he said back, stumbling over his words for the first time that evening. Rory turned and walked a few paces away. "_Bitch_," she heard him mutter under his breath. Her mouth opened indignantly – she'd _never _been called that before – but decided against retorting. She'd probably never have to see him again, anyway.

Rory was just walking up to her suite door when her cell phone started ringing. "Oh shoot," she muttered, only realizing now that Lorelai hadn't heard from her personally in a few days. Sure, there was the phone call to Luke, but Rory kicked herself for not making a call just for Lorelai. Her phone continued ringing as something clicked in her head – _I slept with Jess and didn't tell Mom about it_, she thought, horrified. _Oh, no, I promised!_ She rushed to open the door and pull out her cell phone at the same time, while still balancing her weekend bag. Eventually everything clattered to the floor and she caught the phone on its last ring. "Hello?"

"Rory? Is that you?" Lorelai said on the other end, playing her long-suffering act. "I wasn't sure this was still your number…it's just been so _long_…"

"Mom, I'm so sorry! I meant to call you! I just got back to New Haven," Rory said in a rush.

Lorelai chuckled. "It's okay, hon. I understand. Boys can make your head go all funny and make you forget to call your one and only mother."

Rory staggered over to the sofa and collapsed on it. Nobody else appeared to be home, at least not for the time being. She was dead tired. "I'm still sorry," she said truthfully. "I really did mean to call you, especially since…" She paused. How could she say this over the phone?

"Since what?" Lorelai asked suspiciously.

"Um, since I haven't talked to you all weekend," Rory said lamely. She really wanted to have _that _talk in person, if at all possible. Lorelai knew her daughter too well, though.

"Rory, what?" she said more insistently.

Rory sighed and braced herself. "Well, preferably I'd tell you this over a piece of 12-layer chocolate cake at Weston's, but – "

"You slept with Jess," Lorelai finished for her. Rory's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Hon, you went away for two whole days with a guy you've been seeing for a month…longer, if you count 'Jess and Rory: The Early Years.' I'm not surprised. It was bound to happen sooner or later." Rory could almost see the sad smile on Lorelai's face. "Plus we always have our _serious _talks at Weston's."

"I wanted to tell you…before," Rory began apologizing, "but it just kind of…happened, and I didn't have time to…"

"Babe, stop worrying," Lorelai said soothingly. "I'm not _mad_. Or sad. Or even smad. I just…you're my kid. I was biologically predetermined to take care of you, and now somebody else is doing that."

"You'll always be able to take care of me, Mom," Rory replied after an emotional pause. "That will never change."

"Aw, hon," Lorelai said, sounding a little cheerier. Then her tone sobered again. "You were safe, right?" she demanded.

"Yes," Rory said firmly. "So all those Trojan Man jokes stuck, I guess."

Lorelai sighed in relief. "Okay, good. That's all I need to know, 'cause I'm not ready to be a grandma yet."

"I'm not ready to be a mother yet," Rory said, just as Paris walked through the door. She gave Rory a strange look before retreating to their room. _Oh boy, how do I explain that? _Rory thought.

"_Good_," Lorelai said vehemently on the other end of the line. "So, you're probably exhausted. All that travel and lovin'."

"_Mom_!" Rory protested. She blushed. The travel had been much more tiring than the…other part. It hadn't been more than three or four times. But the memory just made her blush harder. Lorelai laughed as if she could see her daughter's red face.

"I couldn't resist," she said apologetically, knowing how shy Rory was. "Good night, hon."

"Night, Mom. Love you." Rory hung up the phone, and Paris immediately burst back through their door and came to a screeching halt in front of her.

"Did you sleep with that Bukowski-loving hoodlum?" she demanded, blunt as ever.

"Um, yes, sir," Rory said sarcastically. Paris just reminded her too much of a drill sergeant in that moment to resist the jab. Sergeant Geller glared at her.

"Fine, make your own mistakes," she said, flipping a hand in the air as she returned to their room.

_No mistakes here_, Rory thought, smiling at the weekend's memories.

**A/N: Ah, I had ****_way _****too much fun playing with Logan in that chapter. Now, see that little box down there underneath the story? Put words in it! Reviews to me are like caffeine to Lorelai and Rory – necessary and energizing! **

**P.S. Any guesses as to who the woman on the bus was? **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: You were all correct – it was Liz on the bus. She'll be back in town soon enough, because I am trying valiantly to follow along with other events from season 4. **

**My first draft of this chapter included another Logan appearance, but I am just sick of that guy, so I rewrote it. Read and review!**

The next Friday night at 6:30, Lorelai, Rory, and Jess stood uncomfortably on the elder Gilmores' doorstep. After learning that Rory was dating someone, Emily had insisted he attend Friday night dinner, no matter that he lived three and a half hours away. Rory had conveniently left out the small detail that Emily had already met her boyfriend, inciting no end of teasing from Lorelai for being a chicken. Now Rory glanced nervously at Jess, who was thankfully black-eye free, and rang the doorbell.

"Hello, we're the daughter, granddaughter, and granddaughter's boyfriend," Lorelai said by way of greeting to the maid. "See if you can guess which is which!" she added gleefully. The maid simply stared, took their coats, and scurried away. Emily and Richard were, as yet, nowhere to be seen. "Some of my best material is wasted on these maids," Lorelai said sadly.

"Thank you for doing this," Rory whispered to Jess. He just nodded. She knew he had to be dreading tonight, considering what had happened the last time he was here for dinner. That fight was still the worst they'd ever had. If she was honest, she was dreading it too.

"Why, hello!" Emily said, strolling into the foyer with Richard by her side. "Come in, come in, we'll have drinks," she continued, looking right at Jess while somehow seeming to look through him. "Lorelai, where's Jason?"

"I…didn't think to invite him," Lorelai said honestly.

Emily frowned. "Well, now the numbers are going to be uneven! I was expecting you to bring Jason. Now the maid has to take away a place setting and a chair." She snapped her fingers and the poor maid practically ran over to the table to do her bidding. Rory glanced sidelong at Jess, who had a baffled look on his face that she was sure matched her own. How did Emily not remember Jess? She was pretty sure he'd left an impression.

"Um, Grandma?" Rory said tentatively. "This is my boyfriend. Jess." Emily finally looked properly at the person standing next to her granddaughter. Her eyes widened, then narrowed. Rory had never once seen her grandmother at a loss for words, but there was a first time for everything.

"You! I…hmph!" Emily stuttered, finally turning her heel and practically jogging off somewhere upstairs.

"I guess she recognized you," Lorelai said dryly. Richard glanced after his wife, then stepped forward to shake Jess' hand, as if everything was normal.

"I'm Richard Gilmore, Rory's grandfather," he said, looking proudly at his granddaughter. "Jess, is it? Can I get you a drink, Jess?"

"That would be great, Mr. Gilmore, thank you," Jess said smoothly, making Rory raise an eyebrow. She loved Jess, but it wasn't for his manners. _We're not seventeen anymore_, she reminded herself. Over the past couple of months, as she and Jess grew close again, she found herself expecting Jess to run away or do something to get himself in trouble. _We're not seventeen anymore_. Rory felt ashamed that she still saw Jess that way, when he had clearly cleaned up his act and stopped "shakin' it around," as she put it. She mentally shook herself and followed Jess into the sitting room. _We're not seventeen anymore_.

"You like Scotch, Jess?" Richard was asking.

Jess nodded with a smile. "I can never afford the good stuff, though," he admitted. "It's amazing that so many writers were alcoholics when I barely make enough to buy a beer every now and then." Rory watched her grandfather's eyes light up.

"You're a writer?" he asked excitedly. "Well, Rory, I think you've got a good one here!" Richard proudly handed over a glass of Scotch on the rocks. "Lorelai? Rory? Drinks?"

"White wine for me, Dad," Lorelai requested.

"I'll have club soda," Rory added.

"Sure you don't want to try my scotch?" Jess teased, knowing Rory wasn't one for hard liquor, at least not when it wasn't mixed with anything else. She smiled and shook her head at him.

"Dad, uh, shouldn't you go talk to Mom or something?" Lorelai asked, taking her glass of wine.

Richard waved a hand. "She'll come down soon enough. So, Jess," he said, smiling. "Tell me what you've written." Rory and Lorelai exchanged relieved glances as they realized how much Richard seemed to like Jess.

Half an hour later, however, Emily had still not come downstairs. "I'll go," Lorelai said reluctantly, realizing that Richard wasn't going to do a thing about it. As it was, he was too absorbed in talking to Jess about Hemingway. Less than five minutes later, Lorelai came rushing back down the stairs. "Uh, Rory, I think it might be better if you talk to her," she said, looking shaken.

Rory raised her eyebrows. "Okay…" _How awful could this really be?_ she wondered.

"We'll wait to eat for you, Rory!" Richard called after her. "Jess, why don't you come into my study until the ladies sort themselves out? I have a first-edition Hemingway you should see," she heard him say. _Well, at least half of the grandparents like him_, Rory thought.

"Grandma?" Rory said tentatively, raising her hand to knock lightly on her grandparents' bedroom door. She hadn't been upstairs in the Gilmore house since that night she'd fought with Lorelai and come to stay in her room there. Only stubborn silence greeted her. Rory sighed. "Grandma, I know you didn't like Jess when he came to dinner last time, but that was almost two years ago! We're not seventeen anymore. He co-runs a bookstore and publishing house in Philadelphia. And he got that black eye from a football! There wasn't a fight." She stopped and waited for a reply, but none came. Rory half-wondered if she'd climbed out a window, like Lorelai used to do when she was a teenager. "I really think you'd like him if you just gave him a chance," she said finally, not even sure Emily was listening, and turned away. She went back downstairs, shrugging at Lorelai, but no less than two minutes later, Emily stepped regally down the stairs, acting as though nothing unusual had happened.

"It's 7:10," she said. "Let's sit down and eat." She wouldn't make eye contact with Rory, but she was just relieved that her grandmother had come downstairs at all.

An hour later, Lorelai, Jess, and Rory said their goodbyes, and Richard and Emily were alone once again. "Emily," Richard said gently to his still-upset wife. "He's a perfectly lovely young man. Very suitable for Rory, I think."

"He's that diner owner's nephew!" Emily exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "Tell me, in what universe does that make him even acceptable for Rory?"

Richard shook his head and chuckled. At his wife's abashed expression, he explained, "That boy ran circles around me when we discussed _A Farewell to Arms_. He's very bright. Almost as bright as Rory. I think they're a good match," he concluded, walking back to the drinks cart for another Scotch. Emily's lips pressed together until they formed a thin line.

"He hasn't even been to college!" she hissed. "Barely got his GED! Rory's at _Yale_, Richard. We expected she would find someone there."

Richard shrugged, sipping his Scotch. "I know we did, but things change, Emily. I think they're in love," he added as gently as he could. "I've never seen Rory look at a boy like that. Not even that terrible Dean we met years ago."

Emily let out a long-suffering sigh, rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her hands. "I suppose we'll be paying for the wedding soon enough. Mr. and Mrs. James Dean, ladies and gentlemen," she scoffed.

"James Dean was a very talented young man as well, Emily," Richard pointed out. Emily just _tsk_ed and walked into the bathroom to change for bed, effectively ending the discussion until further notice.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This is kind of a short chapter, but I think it's pretty funny, so hopefully you'll forgive me.**

"Well, that went surprisingly well," Lorelai said as the Gilmores' door shut behind them.

Jess looked from her to Rory. "It did?" He had almost started shivering at the dinner table, so cold was the vibe from Emily.

"Yeah. Standards for 'well' are _very _low when it comes to my parents, Jess. So low, in fact, that if we came over for dinner and World War III was being planned in the parlor, we'd shrug and say, 'Make sure not to bomb Paris too hard.'" Rory cracked up but Jess just stared. He was still getting accustomed to Lorelai's strange sense of humor. Rory's jokes usually made a little more sense. "Jess, my father adored you," Lorelai continued. "So eventually, at some point in the next…thirty years, there's a _chance _my mother will tolerate you." Rory nodded in agreement.

"So, I'm going to drive Jess to the bus station," she said as Lorelai climbed into her Jeep.

"Oh, you're not staying?" Lorelai aimed the question at Jess, poking her head out of the window.

Jess shook his head. "Truncheon beckons."

A smile curved onto the elder Lorelai's face. "That's right, you're a responsible adult now."

"Mom!" Rory protested.

"I'm just kidding! He knows that." She grinned at Jess conspiratorially and he nodded, playing along. He had found that, when utterly baffled by the Gilmores, just nodding along was the best choice of action. "Bye!" Lorelai called, starting up the engine. "Love you, hon!" Rory and Jess waved.

"All set?" Rory asked, unlocking her Prius. Jess hesitated.

"Rory, I have to tell you something," he said, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. Rory's throat filled with dread. "Um," Jess continued, "remember when I got that black eye?" Rory nodded, confused. "It wasn't a football," he told her seriously. "It was a swan." She looked at him for a moment then burst out laughing, the relief flooding her whole body.

"No, you're kidding," she accused, pointing a finger at him while she giggled. "This is a joke." Jess just looked at her somberly. "Really?" she said, the laughter dying on her lips. "A _swan_?"

"A very vindictive swan," Jess confirmed. His cheeks were red. Rory had never seen him blush. "I went down to the bridge that afternoon to read and it just…attacked. _Wham_." Jess pounded a fist into his palm, demonstrating the violence of the act. Rory struggled not to laugh, not wanting to embarrass him any further.

"Well," she said, "I read the _Redwall _series when I was about ten. My mom tried to give me more age-appropriate material, even though all I wanted to read was Tolstoy. I think it scared her. Anyway, I remember that there was a swan in one of the books that attacked…" She trailed off, suddenly recalling that the swan in the book hadn't attacked any humans. Just a weasel. She made an odd strangled noise, trying not to giggle.

Jess frowned at her. "I am _so _glad I told you," he said sarcastically. "You're worse than Luke!"

"What did Luke say?"

"He…well, he grabbed a baseball bat and came down to the lake with me to find it," Jess mumbled.

"That was _very _nice of him, protecting his nephew like that," Rory said somberly. "What happened? Did he avenge you?"

Jess gave her a look. "No. We couldn't get close enough to it. It's probably still floating around down there to this day, waiting for its next victim." Rory couldn't hold back her giggles anymore. "Really? Okay, fine, you'll be sorry when I get beaked to death," Jess said, pointing a finger accusingly at her. She just kept laughing, and eventually, he couldn't help but join in.

"Let's go," Rory struggled to say through her mirth. "We have to get to the bus station."

"I don't have to go back until tomorrow afternoon," Jess said, buckling his seatbelt.

"But you just said – "

"Well, I didn't want your mom to know I was staying." He looked around furtively, as if Lorelai might be hiding in the backseat instead of halfway to Stars Hollow. Rory laughed yet again. "Okay, you really need to stop laughing at me," he said.

"I'm sorry." Rory forced herself to stop smiling. "But Jess, my mom knows we're together. _And _she knows we're sleeping together. Why would she care if you're staying the night? Which, by the way, I would have appreciated you telling me beforehand. Now Paris has to get new batteries for her headphones." Jess gave her a 'you're crazy, aren't you?' look and Rory waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind. Let's just go." She pulled out of the driveway and snorted. "Swan," she said under her breath, trying to keep her giggle as quiet as possible.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I think I might be messing up the timeline in this chapter (or in all of them, more likely), but please try to ignore it and just go with the flow. My head starts hurting if I try to match up the timeflow with how it all goes in the series.**

**I like to think I write Emily fairly well; please give me your opinions. I know she can be tough to write for some. Paris, too. Sometimes I think she knows more pop culture references than Lorelai and Rory do - and ****_definitely _****more than I know, which makes her especially difficult to write.**

After dropping Jess off at the bus station early Monday morning, Rory trudged back into her suite, coffee in hand. It was quiet, too early for anyone but Janet to be up, and she was presumably out jogging or hopping up and down or whatever she did for exercise. She smiled to herself, remembering what a great weekend she and Jess had. Just a pinprick of worry darkened her mood; it was always there, looming, reminding her that everything couldn't be this perfect forever, that Jess would probably get sick of her and leave again. But every day, every conversation with Jess, every kiss made the pinprick get smaller, and soon, Rory hoped, it would disappear altogether.

"Yo, Gilmore!" Rory blinked and realized she'd been standing just inside the door for the better of five minutes, not moving. Having appeared from nowhere, as usual, Paris was staring at her. "You look like you're on drugs," she said accusatorily. "Now, I know taking drugs is traditionally a part of the college experience, but – "

"Paris! I'm not high!" Rory said, tossing her purse on the couch and taking a long swig from her coffee. "I'm just _happy_," she told her roommate, friend, and former rival, who cocked an eyebrow skeptically.

"I'm in a relationship too, but I'm not _that _happy," Paris said. "So is he gone now? Can I have my bed back?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I dropped him off at the bus half an hour ago." She didn't bother telling Paris that she didn't have to stay at Asher's every time Jess was over. She'd never feel comfortable with it, which Rory could understand.

"How's the long distance thing going?" Paris asked, seemingly no longer under the impression that Rory was on drugs. Unless she was going to try to test her urine later. Rory wouldn't put it past her.

"It's tough, but we're working with it," Rory sighed, playing with her takeaway coffee cup. "I just try to keep busy so I don't think about him too much when he's not around."

"How long's it been now?" Paris asked. "A month?"

Rory smiled. "Two and a half. He said he wants to do something special for our three-month anniversary. Not in so many words, of course…'special' isn't really in Jess' vocabulary."

"My three-month with Asher's coming up too," Paris said conspiratorially. Rory involuntarily grimaced, as she always did whenever Professor Fleming came into the conversation. The May-December (or, more accurately, May-Ming Dynasty) relationship still skeeved her out. Paris shot her a look and Rory tried to arrange a smile on her face instead. "He wants to take me up to the cape," she continued proudly.

Rory frowned. "Which cape?"

Paris' face fell. "Um…I don't know. One of those capes up there." She waved a hand in a vaguely northern direction. "Anyway, it sounds nice. Doesn't it?" she challenged, daring Rory to say otherwise.

"Yes, it does," Rory replied quickly, swigging the last of her coffee. "I'm going to take a nap; I don't have class until one." Truthfully, Rory just kind of wanted to get away from Paris. They were close friends, but one could only take so much Paris in one sitting. She had to be dealt with in small doses. The other girl just nodded and flipped on C-SPAN.

/

Before Rory knew it, it was time for Friday night dinner again. Her nerves fluttered slightly as she pulled into the Gilmores' driveway – she hadn't heard from Emily since last Friday and she wasn't sure she had the energy to fight with her grandmother. She was thankful for her mom's presence – at least she wouldn't be tackling Emily alone. And Richard had certainly taken a shine to Jess, she remembered hopefully.

"Hey, honey!" Lorelai called, the Jeep already parked ahead of Rory's Prius. She waved with her left hand, the ever-present cup of coffee in her right.

"Hi, Mom!" Rory exclaimed, kissing her on the cheek. "I didn't realize how much I missed you until I saw you."

"Well, isn't that what every mother wants to hear?" Lorelai said jokingly, leading the way up to the door, her arm around her daughter. "You wanna ring the doorbell?" she asked, like Rory was five. She _felt _five. She was so completely dreading the confrontation with her grandmother. As if reading her mind, Lorelai said, "I know, hon, but I'll be there. I won't leave you alone for a second. Even if I have to pee, I'll just hold it." Rory couldn't help but laugh, and Lorelai gave her a comforting smile as she rang the bell.

"Good evening," said the maid in a heavy French accent. She was different from the one who had greeted them last week, but that wasn't really surprising. "May I take your coats?"

"Lucille, please put them in the front closet, as we discussed," Emily said haughtily as she entered the room. Richard was nowhere to be seen, and Rory's stomach rolled over. "Hello, Lorelai. Hello, Rory. No one else joining you?"

"Not tonight, Mom," Lorelai said patiently. "It's just us, sorry."

"Well, that's fine. Richard? Are you done with that call yet?" Emily said loudly so that her husband could hear from his study.

"Yes, Emily," he replied, emerging from beyond the staircase. "It was very short, unusual for a business call. Hello, Rory! Hello, Lorelai!" he said jovially, the polar opposite of his wife. "Rory, I have another book for Jess. Remind me about it after dinner," he added with a smile.

"Okay!" she replied, and Lorelai squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"You'll be seeing him soon, I expect? So you can deliver it to him personally? It's rather valuable; I'd prefer not to put it in the post," Richard continued, to Emily's obvious displeasure.

Rory's mouth opened to reply, but Emily broke in: "Drinks, Lucille! Please help me with the drinks. We mustn't linger in the foyer; it's not proper." She stalked off to the sitting room, leaving Rory, Lorelai, and Richard to exchange exhausted glances.

Emily was silent during drinks and most of dinner, except when she snapped at Lucille, leaving Richard to make small talk, although he pointedly avoided anything that could possibly relate to Jess. This, of course, included all books and most movies, leaving them with politics, religion, and music. Rory and Lorelai looked at each other helplessly as Richard tried to stir up a discussion around Sergei Rachmaninoff.

"Never heard of him," Lorelai said, stabbing at her broccoli.

"Well…then…how about Johannes Alanus?" Richard tried, looking at Rory. She bit her lip and shook her head.

"I know Alanis Morissette!" Lorelai volunteered. Everyone stared at her. "_Jagged Little Pill_? No?"

Rory heaved a heavy sigh. "Look, Grandma, we all know what subject – or should I say _person _– we're avoiding here. Can we just talk about why you're so upset? Calmly?" she added. Lorelai raised her eyebrows at her daughter and Rory just shrugged. She couldn't take the chilly silence from the head of the table anymore. Emily pursed her lips and carefully put her knife and fork down on the table.

"There's nothing to discuss," she said, not meeting her granddaughter's eyes. "I do not find your…friend suitable. I would prefer that you do not speak about him to me" – here she gave a pointed look to Richard that clearly said 'that goes for you too' – "or bring him here again." She picked up her silverware again, indicating that the discussion was closed. But Rory frowned.

"That's just not fair, Grandma," she said, shaking her head and pushing back her chair. "My _boyfriend _is very important to me. In fact, second to Mom, you and Grandpa, and Lane, he is probably the most important person in my life. And if you can't even _accept _that we're together, then I'm afraid I can't come here anymore. I can't pretend to be pleasant and civil when you're just over there, hating Jess for no reason. I need to leave now. I'll get that book – for _Jess_ – some other time, Grandpa." Rory walked out of the room, to the shock of everyone else present, including Lorelai, who jumped up immediately and followed after her daughter.

"She's right, you know," Lorelai said before exiting the room, looking directly at her mother. Then she left.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: All appropriate credit and accolades to the great and powerful Amy S-P. **

Rory, Paris, Tana, Janet, and every other student at Yale was bubbling over with excitement over spring break's arrival.

"So is this going to be, like, spring _vacation _or spring _break_?" Lorelai asked suspiciously over the phone when Rory told her that she and Paris were planning a trip down to Florida.

"What's the difference?" the younger girl asked, frowning as she threw clothes into her suitcase.

"Spring vacation is when you go on a nice trip with your grandparents and do nice things. Spring break is where you do coeds," Lorelai explained.

"Oh jeez," Rory complained at her mother's lack of tact. "I like to think it'll be somewhere in between. Minus the coeds."

"How does Jess feel about it?" Lorelai asked.

Rory shrugged. "He's fine. I'm coming back after a few days and I'm going to spend the rest of the break with him. We just saw each other, anyway; he was here right before finals."

"Distracting you from your studies?" Lorelai asked. "How dare he!"

Rory rolled her eyes and tossed sunscreen with SPF 85 into her bag. "He helped me, actually. One of my midterms was at least half about _A Farewell to Arms_, and you know how much I loathe Hemingway." Her phone beeped. "Hey, Mom? Jess is calling, do you mind if I hang up?"

"Sure, hon. I have to get back to taking inventory, anyhow. You're coming over later to pick up your bathing suit and stuff, right?"

"Yeah," Rory replied. "See you then!" She switched the call over. "Hi, babe." Rory had never felt quite as comfortable as her mother was with terms of endearment, but something about being with Jess again made her affectionate.

"You'll never guess who I ran into on my way back to Philly," he said by way of greeting.

"Um…" Rory pretended to think. "Estragon? Is he still waiting?"

"Ha, ha," Jess replied. "My mother."

Rory dropped the pair of shorts she was holding and sat down on her bed. "Really? Just by chance?"

"Well, sort of," Jess said with a sigh. "She said she's been looking for me. I guess she called Luke, but he refused to give her my number or address…she got on the bus when it stopped in Manhattan."

"That's so…wow," Rory said.

"My thoughts exactly. She's with some new guy, apparently – big surprise – and they're getting married. She wants to have the ceremony in Stars Hollow."

"Do you know what he's like?" Rory asked carefully. From the endless hours she and Jess had spent lying in bed, talking, she'd learned much more about his past than she had ever known in high school. Evidently Liz knew how to pick some real winners. Her eyes narrowed just thinking about it. She was her boyfriend's mother, yes, and that necessitated some iota of respect, but she had also hurt him.

"Name's T.J. They met at a Renaissance Fair. That's about all I know."

"Well…are you going to go to the wedding?" Rory asked, playing with a seam in her bedspread.

"I think I have to," Jess said. "Luke would have my head if I didn't go, now that I know about it. And I guess she wants me to walk her down the aisle or something, since her father's not around…"

Rory couldn't help smiling at the thought of Jess walking down the aisle at a wedding, but she pushed the idea quickly to the back of her mind. Way too soon for those kinds of daydreams. "That sounds nice," she said gently. "When is it?"

"Next weekend. Will you be back from Florida by then?"

Rory nodded, then remembered he couldn't see her. "Yes. Do you want me to go with you?"

Jess hedged a bit. "You – you don't _have_ to, I mean – "

"I'll go," she said, interrupting him.

"Thanks." He sounded relieved. She heard a scuffle. "I have to go; Matthew won't stop poking me until I get off the phone. He's got some girl he wants to call."

"Okay. Bye."

"Love you."

Rory grinned. "You too." She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked it out to the giant van in the parking lot, where Glen was vacuuming out the inside, then hopped in her car. It wouldn't hurt if she went over to Stars Hollow a little early. She could pick up coffee on the way and surprise Lorelai at the inn. She and Sookie were still under massive amounts of stress, but the final touches were in progress now and they seemed more relaxed, now that they knew production wasn't suddenly going to stop because Tom wasn't getting paid.

Thirty minutes later, Rory pulled into the soon-to-be Dragonfly's parking lot, next to the old beat-up Jeep. Juggling four coffees – she thought Sookie and Michel might appreciate a caffeine boost too – she hip-checked the car door closed and cautiously made her way up the steps. Keeping her eyes trained on the precarious coffees, she didn't see the plank of wood in her path.

"Whoa!" Rory stumbled and grimaced, already resigned to the fact that the precious caffeine was going to end up all over the porch. But then a strong arm grabbed her and steadied her. "Thanks!" she said, turning to discover the identity of her rescuer. "Oh. Hi, Dean."

"Rory," Dean said, nodding coldly and turning away. She sighed. News had traveled fast about her and Jess. She supposed Dean must have been one of the first to find out. Babette and Miss Patty just could not keep their mouths shut. Not to mention East Side Tilly. "Your mom's back in the kitchen with Sookie," Dean added, not looking her in the eyes. She chewed on her lip, but there wasn't really anything she could do. She was with Jess. Dean couldn't accept that. It didn't matter what she said.

"Hi, Mom!" Rory said as cheerfully as she could as she walked back into the kitchen, which looked almost perfect. The fridges were already stuffed with food and she thought she smelled something delicious baking in the oven. "Hi, Sookie!"

"Hi, buttercup!" Sookie squealed, getting to her first. Luckily Rory had already set the coffees down or the older woman's hug would have sent them flying. "Do you want a scone? Cinnamon chip!" Without waiting for an answer, Sookie whipped a tray out of the oven and shoved one in Rory's hand.

"It's delicious," she said, taking a huge bite. She almost swooned at the warm pastry melting in her mouth. Yale's coffee cart pastries had nothing on Sookie St. James-Belleville.

"So which bathing suit are you going to take, the ugly one or the uglier one?" Lorelai asked teasingly, grabbing a scone herself.

"They are _not _ugly!" Rory said indignantly, taking a swig of her coffee and offering one to Lorelai and Sookie. Michel popped into the kitchen, turned up his nose at the scones, and whisked himself away as soon as he had added fat-free milk and a Splenda to his coffee.

"Sure, sure," Lorelai said to appease her daughter. "Not ugly. Just Mormon."

"Just because I'm not ready to display my entire body to a ton of strangers doesn't mean I'm not ready to have fun," Rory argued, picking apart the scone in her hands.

"You'll be with Paris," Lorelai pointed out. "Your idea of fun is _Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth_."

"So what?" Rory frowned. Lorelai shrugged.

"You can watch _The Power of Myth _at home. Take advantage of the fun environment. Go out and _do _something. Just don't get drunk and fall out of a window. Please. For Mommy's sake." Lorelai pouted.

"No windows," Rory promised. She glanced at her watch. "I'd better get going. Glen's going to come by and pick me up soon."

"I'll come and help you!" Lorelai volunteered. "You're going to need it to find that suit amongst your Amish cloaks and bonnets." Rory rolled her eyes, but still linked arms with her mom as they left the inn.

**A/N: I'm not going to recreate Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin' the Twist (although it's a really fun episode). All you need to know is that in my version of events, Rory doesn't drunkenly call Dean.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Some dialogue taken from Raincoats and Recipes. I switched a couple events around to fit my own devious designs.**

Relaxation and sunshine aside, Rory was rather happy to be home from Florida. She was looking forward to spending quality time with Lorelai and with Jess (separately, for the most part – the two still couldn't comfortably spend more than a few minutes together without Rory as a buffer), and truthfully, spring break had been a little _too_ crazy. She bit her lip, shaking her head at the memory of Paris' antics, as she pushed open the door to Luke's and glanced around for Jess.

"Augh!" she yelped as someone snuck up behind her and grabbed her around the waist. She whipped around to see Jess staring at her, surprised at her outburst. "You scared me," she explained. "Don't do that!"

"Noted. No surprises, ever. Except one more." Rory braced herself for some kind of sudden explosion, but Jess just pulled a book from behind his back and handed it to her. A delighted smile spread across her face.

"Is this a first edition?" she asked eagerly.

Jess nodded, smiling himself. "Found it at this hole-in-the-wall used bookstore in Port Richmond." He traced his fingers over the letters on the cover. "Look inside."

Rory carefully cracked open the book. "It's _signed_?!" She put a hand to her chest, legitimately having trouble breathing. Jess pushed her over to a stool and made her sit down. "How much did you have to pay for it?" She paged through the book, inhaling deeply and smiling at her favorite smell.

"That's not an appropriate question when it's a gift," Jess scolded, though he was still smiling.

"But he was such a recluse," Rory said, excitement still evident in her voice. "When did he ever do book signings?" She read the first sentence of the book to herself, her eyes lighting up at the familiar words. _If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth._

Jess shrugged. "I don't think he _did _do book signings. All that attention would've stressed him out too much. They probably just had him sign the first few copies they printed."

Rory clasped the book to her chest. "This is the best present ever. And it's not even my birthday." She leaned over and kissed him.

"Maybe for your birthday I'll try to resurrect J.D. Salinger," Jess joked. "He can sign all the books you want."

"I don't think he would appreciate that," Rory laughed.

"LOIN FRUIT!"

"Mom!" Rory yelled, turning around and leaping off the stool, handing the precious book to Jess. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? Especially not in public?"

"I'll save it for when we're alone," Lorelai promised, winking at Jess, who just shook his head.

"Look what I got!" Rory exclaimed, pulling her over to the counter and showing her the book.

"Wow! An old book!" Lorelai pretended to be excited.

"It's a _first-edition_," Rory emphasized. "And it's _signed_."

"That is pretty cool. Where'd you get it and how much of a hit did your bank account take?"

"Jess got it for me!" Rory said proudly, grinning at her boyfriend. Lorelai raised her eyebrows.

"Wow," she said, drawing out the word in true astonishment. "That was very nice of him." At that moment, Luke popped out from behind the curtain that led to the storeroom and the stairs. Lorelai blushed and ducked her head, inviting knowing looks from Rory and Jess.

"Hi, Rory!" Luke said cheerfully. He threw a smile at Lorelai before turning his attention back to Rory. "How's Yale treating you?"

"Everything's great, Luke, thanks," Rory replied, tucking her hair behind her ear and shooting another glance at a bright-red Lorelai, who was tugging at her daughter's arm. "Um…be right back." She let Lorelai drag her out of the diner. "What's your damage, Heather?" she said as soon as they were outside. Lorelai looked at her.

"I think I'm dating Luke," she said.

Rory gasped theatrically. "What?!"

"I'm not sure! It's just a possibility. I could be wrong," Lorelai said.

"But…how? When?" Rory asked, her expression incredulous.

"Well, he invited me to go with him to Liz's wedding tomorrow."

"That does not equal dating," Rory pointed out.

"Right. But he's also been _really _nice to me lately, like unusually nice, like bringing me extra cups of coffee without telling me it's going to kill me nice. And going to a wedding together?" Lorelai gave Rory a significant look.

"Not getting it," she replied, staring at her mother.

"_Weddings _are where you go to find your future spouse!" Lorelai exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "See?!"

"No, I don't see," Rory replied, glancing inside the diner and shrugging at Jess, who was watching them.

"Well, maybe Luke thinks we'll go to his sister's wedding and he'll find _me_." Lorelai shifted her weight and glanced inside nervously, where Luke was pouring coffee for Babette and Morey, his back turned.

"Maybe," Rory conceded, and a terrified look came across her mother's face.

"But _maybe_," she said hurriedly, "maybe he didn't mean it as a date thing. Maybe he just needs to get out of the house, and since I'm currently one of the women sitting at home, thinking 'If only I could find a man like Aragorn,' he picked me!"

"That's a possibility too, I guess," her daughter conceded. Lorelai looked scared again. "Do you _want _to be dating Luke?" Rory questioned.

"I – I don't know. Maybe? Is that crazy?" Lorelai asked, throwing another nervous glance inside the diner. "But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. I don't even know if this is what he's thinking! This could be a totally innocent situation! And then we've done all this what-if-ing for nothing." She sighed. "Let's just go back in there and _see _if anything's weird, okay?"

"Okay," Rory agreed, letting Lorelai go ahead of her.

"Is everything okay?" Luke asked, walking past with the order pad and a pencil in his hand.

"Yes," Lorelai scoffed, just before falling sideways into their table and knocking over everything on it, including the salt and pepper shakers, napkin holder, and ketchup and mustard bottles.

"I'll get the broom," Luke said, unfazed, and walked away.

"_That _was a little weird," Rory said, and Lorelai glared at her. Jess strolled over and helped Rory pick up the mess, giving her a significant look. In truth, he'd told her over the phone that Luke had all these weird self-help tapes and seemed very proud of himself after asking Lorelai to attend Liz and TJ's wedding. They agreed that they were just clueless – the whole town knew they were supposed to be together, but Rory tried to keep it all on the down-low from Lorelai. They needed to discover it for themselves, without any pushing from anybody else. Jess complained that the whole thing reeked of Greek tragedy, but Rory knew he would be just as happy for Luke as she would be for Lorelai if they ever got together, even if it did eventually mean that she and Jess would be cousins.

"What'll you have?" Luke asked after he finished sweeping away the detritus.

"Um…a…burger," Lorelai said faintly.

"Extra fries?" Luke asked, his eyes focused on his order pad.

"Yes," Rory answered for her, since Lorelai didn't look like she was doing so well with words at the moment. Jess leapt up to help his uncle with the lunch rush, leaving Rory to calm down her mother. "Mom, it'll be okay," she said, patting Lorelai's hand. "I'll be at the wedding too. So if anything weird happens, you won't have to go it alone." She smirked a little. If Luke's smiles to Lorelai were any indication, they were going to have a phenomenal time, no interference required.

**A/N: That scene where Lorelai falls into the table is one of the funniest, in my opinion. Makes me laugh every time. Next chapter: Liz and TJ's wedding! We're winding down here, folks. I'm thinking three or four more chapters. Please review! It keeps me going!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry for the delay in updating. I hope I haven't lost everybody. I just moved and I've had some personal stuff going on and it's stressing me out and distracting me. Nice longgg chapter to make up for it. Reviews are always welcome!**

Rory gazed out the diner window at the town square, sipping at her coffee. It had been transformed in a matter of hours into a Renaissance wonderland. Long, medieval-looking tables were set up strategically around the gazebo, a throne-like chair residing at the head of each. Colored ribbons tied to lamp posts danced in the wind, wrapping themselves around stalks of wheat – Rory had no idea where one got stalks of wheat, but there they were. The diner smelled delectably of roasting turkey, corn on the cob, and mincemeat pie.

"Hey."

Rory grinned up at her boyfriend. "Hey! How's your mom?"

Jess gave a noncommittal half-shrug. "Nervous, but she seems okay." Rory stood and Jess unabashedly drank in her appearance. "You look great."

"Thanks!" Rory beamed. She felt like a princess in the spaghetti-strap, pale blue maxidress Lorelai had made her for the occasion. It wasn't as if either she or her mother was actually _in _the wedding, but Lorelai would take any excuse to use her sewing machine. "You don't look half-bad yourself, Mr. Mariano." Jess looked more well-put together than usual in dark-wash jeans and a cream-colored button-down. They both glanced at the door as Lorelai entered the diner, dressed in a mid-length pink dress with a floral print. She was tugging nervously at the crown of flowers wrapped around her head, the partner to Rory's blue one.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted, craning her neck around to see who else was in the diner.

"Luke's in back," Rory informed her, causing Lorelai to put on a wide-eyed, innocent expression.

"Oh, I wasn't looking for him!" she claimed. Rory and Jess just looked at her skeptically. "Okay, fine, maybe I was."

"Jess!" Luke himself barked from behind the curtain, not showing himself.

"What?"

"C'mere!" Jess sighed, rolled his eyes, and went upstairs. Rory grinned at her mother.

"You look great, Mom," she said reassuringly, watching Lorelai's nerves melt just a little. "The dress is perfect."

"You don't think it's too low-cut?" she asked, looking down at her chest.

"Just low-cut enough," Rory laughed.

"Okay, because I don't want to pull a Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl tonight."

"If it's any consolation, Luke would probably enjoy that," Rory grinned, making Lorelai blush.

"What would I enjoy?" Luke popped back out from behind the curtain, looking very dapper in his only suit and a dark red tie. "Hey, you look beautiful," he said to Lorelai, smiling at her and making her blush deepen.

"Thanks," she said shyly. Rory raised one eyebrow at her. In her nineteen years, never had she known Lorelai to be _shy_.

"Oh, hey, Rory," Luke said, finally noticing her standing a foot away. "All done with your finals?"

"I'm free at last," Rory nodded, feeling another rush of relief at the reminder that she was _done_. "No more wasting all of my brain power on Machiavelli and Chaucer and Euclid and Kafka. I can just think about _Jane _magazine and why did Uma wear that dress."

"You'll still think about Kafka," Jess pointed out, reappearing and leaning on the counter. "And probably Chaucer. Maybe a little Machiavelli too." He smirked at her.

"Well, yes, but I don't _have _to. That's the point. I can just because I _want _to. No more professors controlling my thoughts."

"If they have Thought Police at Yale, I'm not so sure it's the best place for you anyhow," Jess pointed out, making Rory laugh and shake her head at him. Just then, Miss Patty rushed into the diner in a frenzy.

"Lorelai! Lorelai, dear, thank goodness. Liz ripped her dress and I've never been any good with wardrobe."

"Uh-oh. I'll be right there, Patty," Lorelai said, following the woman out of the diner with a glance and a half-smile for Luke.

"Come on, let's find good seats," Rory exclaimed, grabbing Jess and tugging him out of the diner, leaving Luke to trail along behind.

* * *

"Liz? This is Rory," Jess said, casually as could be, but Rory could tell he was nervous by the way he kept running his fingers through his hair. Liz turned around and beamed.

"Oh, Rory! The famous Rory! I can't believe I finally get to meet you!" She threw her arms around the younger girl, startling her.

"Oh, you too…" Rory said, awkwardly patting Liz on the back until she released her. "It was a lovely ceremony," Rory continued.

"Wasn't it? The poem about the games was my favorite part! That was Randolph. He plays the lute and juggles at the fairs." Liz twinkled at her, signaling that they needn't acknowledge that this wasn't the first time they'd met.

Playing along, Rory kept the rictus smile on her face, trying not to look at Jess for fear she would start laughing. The ceremony had really been lovely, but it was a bit strange, as weddings generally went.

"So, my brother and your mom, huh?" Liz grinned, nudging Rory gently with her elbow. They all gazed over at Luke and Lorelai, standing just a few feet away but oblivious to the rest of the world. Rory couldn't help a real smile from forming as she watched them together. Luke was chuckling at something Lorelai had just said, and they were gravitating towards each other like two magnets. They were obviously smitten.

"Oh, I hope it works out," she whispered, making Jess roll his eyes good-naturedly.

"Let's get some food," he suggested, and Rory waved goodbye to Liz before following him over to the heavily-laden tables. "Wow. You'd think Henry VIII was here," he commented, looking at the vast plates of turkey, potatoes, and gravy, not to mention the cakes and pies.

"I'll keep an eye out," Rory replied, grabbing a plate and loading it up.

"It never ceases to amaze me how much you can eat," Jess said through a mouthful of corn, watching his girlfriend dig in.

"Unexplained Gilmore miracle," she shrugged, glancing over at Lorelai at another table with Luke, her plate piled even higher than Rory's was.

"Want some wine?" Jess asked, standing up. "Or – I'm sorry – _libations_, I believe, is the time-period-appropriate term?" He smirked.

"I'm underage," Rory pointed out.

"Well, you could knock me over with a feather! I thought you were at least thirty-five!"

Rory narrowed her eyes at him. "No, thank you," she said primly.

"Suit yourself." He ambled away in the direction of the drinks table, only to be derailed after a few feet by none other than T.J.

"Hey, bud!" the older man – now Jess' stepfather – said, clapping Jess on the shoulder. The look on Jess' face as he turned to Rory in horror made her collapse in giggles.

_I'm not rescuing you! _she mouthed, making him shake his head slowly in disappointment. To Jess' immense and obvious relief, Luke strolled by just at that moment and pulled T.J. aside before he could wax poetic about his tights – or 'Air Pants,' as he had apparently trademarked them. Jess sidestepped away as quickly as he could and sat back down next to Rory, breathing a deep sigh of relief.

"Where's your wine?" Rory asked him innocently.

"They were out," Jess deadpanned. "Guess Henry came through already."

"All that heavy food and alcohol's gonna catch up with him one day," Rory said somberly, shaking her head and shoving a large bite of potato in her mouth.

"Look who's talking."

"I told you. Gilmore miracle. My mom's healthy as a horse and she's been eating this way for way longer than I have."

"She does look like she's having a good time," Jess admitted, glancing at the woman in question, who was following his uncle onto the dance floor. He shifted uncomfortably and seemed to consider something for a moment.

"What?" Rory asked, noticing the change in his mood.

"You – you wanna dance or something?" he mumbled, looking at her sidelong.

Rory smiled uncertainly. "_Can_ you dance?"

"It's just a little rocking back and forth in place, isn't it?" he asked, avoiding her gaze.

"You don't have to, Jess, you know. Just because we're at a wedding and other people are dancing doesn't mean we have to dance."

"But you want to, right?"

Rory hesitated. "Well, sure, but – "

"Then we're dancing," Jess said shortly, cutting her off and offering his hand to her.

"I hope ye took much pleasure in Kajagoogoo," Kirk announced from his place at the DJ booth. "Methinks Oingo Boingo wilst soon makest an appearance. But first, please clear the floor for our happy couple…eth."

The party's mood changed perceptibly as a slower, sweeter song took the place of the dance numbers that had reigned up till this point. Rory and Jess paused at the edge of the floor to allow Liz and T.J. room to have their first dance. Rory squeezed his hand, signaling that it would be okay if they didn't join in. But he gave her a look that said not to argue.

"Liz and T.J. wouldst enjoy others to join them in their modest wriggles," Kirk announced after a minute.

"Very nice," Jess said under his breath, holding his grip on Rory's right hand and gently placing the other on her waist. "No making fun if I suck at this," he added, giving her a warning look, to which she nodded as seriously as she could.

_And now that I've worn out, I've worn out the world  
I'm on my knees in fascination  
Looking through the night  
And the moon's never seen me before  
But I'm reflecting light..._

"Pretty song," Rory whispered in Jess' ear. "You're holding up well," she added. "No toes broken yet." They stepped in a slow circle in an unorthodox but recognizable waltz.

"I've seen _Dirty Dancing_," Jess explained.

"Oh, okay," Rory laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. "So when are we doing the lift?" she teased.

"Right after Patrick Swayze gets here."

"Aww." She pretended to pout. "Really, Jess, this is…nice." They swayed in silence for a moment.

"So…are we heading back to your mom's house after this?" Jess asked eventually.

"I guess so. I have a couple more things still at Yale, but those can wait for tomorrow." She lifted her head from its place on his shoulder and looked at him. "Why do you ask?"

"I think we should go somewhere."

"Like…where? Funky Town?"

"I've heard the hotel rates there are astronomical," Jess said dryly. "No, I mean…a trip. A vacation."

"You and me?" Rory asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, I hope you don't want to invite anyone else," Jess laughed. The song ended and he led the way back to their table.

"You want to leave right now?"

"No, it doesn't have to be this instant. But maybe in the next couple of days, if we decide on a place." He looked around for T.J. and nabbed the ladle from the punch bowl, pouring a lot into his own goblet and just a sip or two into Rory's.

Rory grinned. "Wow! That sounds amazing. Now, where should we go?" she mused, placing a thoughtful finger on her chin.

Jess took a sip. "I'm sure a pro-con list is impending."

"No mocking my pro-con lists, I thought we established that," Rory scolded. She eyed the wine.

"Rory, it's fine. You're not driving anywhere, neither am I, and the only police officer in sight is leading the conga line." He nodded to the dance floor, where Officer Ruskin was indeed conga-ing it up, looking like he'd had a few too many.

"Oh, all right, all right," she conceded, picking up the glass and taking a cautious sip. "Oh, this is good!"

"Rory. Was that your first sip of wine?" Jess asked, cocking one eyebrow at her.

"No!" she said defensively. "I've had it at Grandma and Grandpa's before…once."

"Not a big drinker, huh?" Jess teased.

"It's not like I've never had alcohol before," Rory argued, even though she knew he was just kidding. "But Yalies are not so much with the fancy mulled drinks. Cheap beer all the way. Bleh." She stuck out her tongue distastefully. "And on the last day of finals, everybody in my dorm poured all their leftover alcohol into one bowl and called it a Funky Monkey. So gross. This tastes good, though." She took another sip.

"Hey, young people!" Rory glanced up to see her mom leaning over them.

"Oh! Mom! I was just – trying the wine…" she trailed off, looking guilty.

"Rory. It's a party. I'd be worried if you _didn't _drink." Lorelai smiled at Jess. "Are you being a bad influence on my daughter?" Jess nodded. "Good."

"Mom!" Rory protested, looking uncomfortable. Lorelai and Jess' past was not full of pleasantries and she still worried sometimes that her mom would suddenly turn on Jess, or vice versa. "Where's Luke?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"He got accosted by Crazy Carrie," Lorelai said unconcernedly. "I'll go rescue him in a sec. Wanted to check on you two."

"We're just fine," Rory assured her.

"I can see that," Lorelai smiled. "Oh hey, before I forget – Grandpa just called. He wanted to talk to both of you about something."

"Both of us?" Rory asked, looking confused.

"Yup. I told him we were at a wedding and he said you could call him back tomorrow. He sounded happy, so it's either something great or something completely terrible." Lorelai shrugged. "Probably terrible, based on the last time we saw them." She smiled sympathetically, but Rory could tell she was secretly glad the focus was off her for the moment. "I guess I'll go find Luke now. Hopefully Carrie hasn't suffocated him with her boobs." She flounced off, leaving Rory and Jess to wonder what Richard could possibly want.

**A/N: All credit for stolen dialogue goes to Amy. Lyrics are from "Reflecting Light," by Sam Phillips.**


	18. Chapter 18

Post-wedding celebration, Rory and Jess followed Lorelai back to the Crap Shack for the night. The elder Gilmore was obviously uncomfortable with Jess spending the night with her one and only offspring (and she dearly hoped they wouldn't create offspring of their own, at least not yet), but she did set up a cot next to Rory's tiny bed and tried to make sure Jess would be as comfortable as possible.

"Mom, how did it go with – " Rory started to ask, but Lorelai hushed her.

"We'll talk all about it when his nephew isn't four feet away," she muttered, the smile on her face betraying the way she felt. Rory gave her mother a big hug and wished her good night.

"I think I can squeeze in there," he murmured, nodding at the bed after Lorelai had shut the door behind her, giving them one last (slightly worried) glance. Rory tugged a long t-shirt over her head and performed a contortionist maneuver to remove her dress underneath it, much to Jess' amusement. "You know I've seen you naked before, right?"

"Shh! Of course, but I feel like…I dunno, I feel like my mom can sense whether I'm wearing clothes or not."

Jess snorted. "A sixth sense for nudity? I wish I had that superpower. Come over here." Rory carefully hung up her dress and crawled onto her bed.

"What if my mom decides to check on us in the middle of the night?" Rory worried as Jess pulled her close to his chest.

"She won't. And if she does, so be it. You're an adult."

"Kinda," Rory muttered, but made no move to push Jess onto the cot. "Makes me feel sixteen again to be in here." She glanced around at the pictures and decorations that had been there since she and Lorelai moved out of the Independence Inn.

"It'll be fine," he replied sleepily, and switched off her bedside lamp.

* * *

Rory's eyes opened slowly, then immediately shut again against the bright light streaming through the window. She squinted, her gaze falling to the man beside her, staring at her.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi, creepy," she replied.

Jess rolled his eyes. "It's not like I was watching you for _hours_," he argued, shifting his position and wrapping one arm around her waist. "Just for a minute or two." Rory shook her head and smiled, stroking his stubble-rough cheek gently. It was strange, but sort of nice to see him here, in her childhood bedroom. "You know what day it is?" Jess asked.

"Um…Friday?" Rory guessed.

"And…" Jess said leadingly.

"Oh, it's our anniversary!" she realized. "I'm sorry! Happy three-month!" She leaned forward and gave him a chaste kiss – morning breath could be a wicked thing.

Jess chuckled. "Happy three-month. You know, we never celebrated stuff like anniversaries in high school."

"I know. You weren't really the anniversary type of guy."

"True."

"You're still not," Rory pointed out.

"Well, no, but it's important to you, and I'm glad we've made it work this long, so…" He reached over to his discarded jeans on the floor and pulled something out of the side pocket. "Here." Rory opened the little cardboard box and gasped.

"Oh, it's so pretty!" she cooed, pulling out a silver ring, adorned with a crowned heart held by two hands.

"It's a claddagh ring," Jess informed her. "It's Irish. See, if the heart points towards you…" He slipped it onto her right ring finger, where it fit perfectly. "…that means your heart is taken." Rory beamed.

"_Thank _you," she said. "I love it. And you." She leaned forward and kissed him again. "I got you a book."

"A book?" Jess smirked. "Safe bet, Gilmore."

Rory blushed. "Well, I figured you'd get me a book too, so…but you surprised me." She held up her hand again to admire the ring, then bent sideways so she could reach underneath the bed without getting up, and handed him the neatly-wrapped book.

"_The Rum Diary_…I've heard about this. It's supposed to be great." Jess examined the paperback carefully after ripping off the blue wrappings. "Should fit nicely in my back pocket, too." He smirked. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm borrowing it after you if it's good."

"You sure you don't want your own copy?" Jess asked.

"No! My own copy wouldn't have all your notes!" Rory said, mock-indignantly.

"Oh, of course, of course," Jess conceded. He pressed himself into her side, forcing her to allow him to rest on his elbows above her.

"Jess…my mom…upstairs…"

"Don't care." He proved it by capturing her lips and wrapping his tongue around hers.

"Oh, I should call Grandpa," Rory said suddenly, tearing her lips away from his.

"Um, okay," Jess replied, bewildered. "You have kind of weird timing."

"Sorry, sorry," Rory apologized, laughing a little. "It just popped into my head that we haven't found out what he wanted yet. I'll call…"

"…later," Jess finished for her.

"Mm…no, now…need coffee first, though," she mumbled, reluctantly pulling herself out of Jess' embrace. She yanked on sweatpants and trudged into the kitchen. Jess rubbed his eyes and pulled his own clothes back on, lest Lorelai be scandalized by the sight of him in nothing but boxers. He slid onto a chair at the kitchen table, gazing around at the familiar space and remembering cold egg rolls and lost bracelets.

"So what should we do on this, the day of our anniversary?" Rory asked, doing a very poor imitation of _The Godfather_. She poured a cup of coffee for herself and one for Jess. He sighed.

"Well, since we're here, and not in Philadelphia…" He grimaced. "I don't know."

"First we'll go to Luke's with Mom," Rory said, ignoring Jess' eye roll. "Then Weston's for dessert."

"Dessert with breakfast?" Again, she ignored him.

"Then we can go to the bridge." She smiled and he couldn't hold back a little grin of his own. Despite everything that had happened in their relationship all those years ago, the bridge always held good memories. "And then the bookstore…more coffee…"

"Sounds like you've got it all planned out," Jess said. "Wanna call your grandfather, so I don't have to hear you remind me to remind _you _all day long?" Jess asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Oh, right! Yes. Okay." Rory handed her cup to him for a refill and scampered into her room to grab her phone.

"It's a little early, though, do you want to wait?" Jess asked. Rory reemerged, shaking her head.

"He used to get up at 5:30 every single morning. He now 'sleeps in' – " she made finger quotes " – till 6." She rolled her eyes and punched a couple of buttons on her phone. "I'll put it on speakerphone," she whispered. "He'll want to talk to you too, I bet. Mom sleeps like the dead, so it won't wake her."

"Hello?"

"Grandpa? It's Rory."

"Rory!" He sounded jubilant, just like Lorelai had described. "So good to hear back!"

"Sorry it took me a while," she apologized.

"That's quite all right, my dear. I only called last night. I believe you are still within Emily Post's parameters of telephone etiquette."

"Jess is here too."

"Oh, good. This concerns both of you. Hello, Jess."

"Um, hello, Ri- Mr. Gil – hello," Jess replied awkwardly. Richard gracefully ignored his discomfort.

"So what's up, Grandpa?" Rory asked eagerly, sharing none of her mother's anxiety over what he might want, and none of Jess' anxiety over the fact that it was pretty clear he'd spent the night, if they were calling together this early in the morning.

Richard answered, "Well, what's 'up' is that I have a business trip coming up, to Paris."

"Oh, wow! Mom and I loved Paris. You'll have such a good time." Rory paused and looked at Jess quizzically. He shrugged. "So…" she said, drawing out the word.

"You mean _we'll _have such a good time," Richard said, the smile on his face evident in his voice.

"We?"

"All three of us. Well, I'll be in and out of meetings, hardly get to see the city at all, so you and Jess will have plenty of opportunities to explore on your own. And you'll have your own room."

"Grandpa." Rory stared at Jess, wide-eyed. He looked just as flummoxed as she felt. "Are you saying you're taking me and Jess to _Paris_?"

"Yes," Richard replied proudly.

"Paris, _France_?"

Richard chuckled. "Well, we're not going to Texas, that's for certain."

Rory leapt up, nearly dropping her phone. "But – _how_? I mean, we don't deserve – "

"One, you absolutely do deserve," her grandfather said firmly. "And two, there was extra money in the budget for a guest or two. Normally I would take your grandmother, but she has been to Paris many times, and though I'm sure she would like to shop for outrageously expensive clothing and practice her French on the locals, she suggested I take you instead."

"Grandma suggested it?" Rory asked, her face the very picture of confusion.

"She certainly did. I would have called her over to get on speakerphone when you called, but she is at some D.A.R. function or other at the moment."

"Are you…are you positive that she said that?" Rory asked. "I mean, the last time we saw her…" She trailed off.

"Your grandmother still…does not entirely approve of your relationship," Richard said carefully. "And I know she is uncertain about Jess. My apologies, Jess."

"No problem," he said, shrugging.

"But she loves you very, very much, Rory, both of us do, and while I'm not 100% sure of her…motivations, I do not think this is an opportunity you should let pass by. I would look forward to escorting the two of you to my favorite haunts in old Pah-ree." He laughed. "Though I'm sure you have your own spots you'd like to revisit, Rory."

"Yeah," she replied, looking a little dazed.

"Thank you, sir," Jess leapt in, raising his voice so Richard could hear him over the speakerphone.

"You're both quite welcome. The trip isn't for another few weeks. It should fall right in the second month of your summer break, if I'm not mistaken, and I trust Truncheon can make do without you for a few measly days, eh, Jess? We can hash out the plans at Friday night dinner, Rory, and Jess, you're always welcome to come along, though I can't imagine you enjoy it much."

"Oh – that's not – " Jess fumbled, then gave up. "Okay, thanks again."

"Um, well, it's our anniversary today, so we won't make it till next week," Rory added apologetically. "But thank you, Grandpa!" Rory said, still stunned.

"See you next week, then," Richard said, and disconnected the line.

Rory looked at Jess, her mouth open. "Can you _believe _it?" she asked.

"No," he replied honestly. "I can't."

"Have you ever been outside the country?" she asked, warming her hands on her coffee cup. Jess shook his head. "Oh, we're going to have such a good time!" Rory exclaimed with a grin. "All writers have to go to Paris! Even Hemingway went." She poked him.

"Should be pretty cool," he admitted.

"_Très _cool," Rory giggled, kissing him on the cheek. He twisted his lips in an expression very familiar to her: he was trying not to laugh. "I'll have to pull out my rusty high school French," she continued.

"And I'll have to...follow you everywhere, I guess, since the only French I know is _s'il vous plait_."

"That could get you farther than you think. At least they'd think you were a very polite American. But I'll teach you some basics. Can we start packing now?" Rory leapt up, leaving Jess behind, and went to her closet, yanking out a duffel bag. She frowned at it. "This won't do," she said. "I'll have to find the backpacks Mom and I used when we went to Europe." She hesitated, staring blankly into her closet. The mention of backpacking across Europe provoked a flood of memories. Before graduation. Before prom. A bus. And Jess. She bit her lip.

Present-day Jess came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, failing to realize anything was amiss. "I don't think your grandpa is planning for the trip to last three months. Do you really need that much – " He halted at the look on her face, misreading it. "No, of course, silly me, you will absolutely need that much clothing."

"Shoes, too," Rory added faintly, turning back to her closet with a tight smile. "Don't forget about the shoes."

"I wouldn't dare," Jess said solemnly. Rory handed him his present, signaling that he was free to read while she went about packing for the upcoming trip. She picked up a pair of socks, glanced back at him, lying down on her bed and perusing his book, and carefully placed the socks into her duffel.

**A/N: Things got a little convoluted the last couple of chapters, I think. The special thing Jess had planned (that Rory mentioned to Paris a few chapters ago) was the trip, as discussed last chapter, which they don't have to worry about now, since they're going to Paris...the city, not the person. Make sense?**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: This chapter won't make you happy. Fair warning.**

The faintest hints of light poured through the building's grimy windows. Rory awoke with a start, panicking for 2.4 seconds before remembering where she was. She stared up at the blank white ceiling and bent over the side of the bed, listening to it creak, to peer down at her mother on the bunk below her. Lorelai was sleeping peacefully, and Rory made sure it stayed that way as she climbed down, slipped on sneakers, and let herself out onto the street.

Nothing was open this early, not even in Barcelona, and the sidewalks were abandoned. She padded just a few short yards away and sat down on a bench. She would wander farther, but she was already losing her Spanish and the Catalan phrasebooks were back in the hostel, underneath the bottom bunk (after much debate, Lorelai had consented that they probably needed to know more than "Does Antonio Banderas live near here?").

She stared down at her feet, her hair swinging forward, and she held up a strand, frowning at it. She and Lorelai had been bouncing from country to country, famous city to famous city, for three weeks now. Every night she tossed and turned on the invariably lumpy hostel mattresses, unable to get a full eight hours' rest. Lorelai kept commenting on the dark circles under her eyes, but Rory chalked it up to sleeping in a new place almost every night, the lie tasting bitter on her tongue. It was a struggle to cry silently, but she mastered the art so that her mother never had to know how much pain her daughter was in. She was a good actress. Maybe she should major in theater instead of journalism.

_"I think...I think I may have loved you, but..."_

Footsteps approached, and Rory hunched her shoulders before glancing up, prepared to offer a stranger an explanation for the state she was in, even if it had to be in broken Spanish. Triste. That was the word for 'sad', right? But her brow creased. Instead – "What are you doing here?"

_"I think..."_

Jess sat down next to her without looking at her. Silence. The biggest hallmark of their relationship. It stretched on for several seconds. She had to break it.

_"...but I just need to let it go."_

"You shouldn't be here. You left." More silence. Panic was rapidly rising in her chest. Why wouldn't he look at her? "You left," she repeated, "and you didn't say goodbye. Why do you keep doing that?" Her face crumpled. Still he would not face her, but he finally spoke.

"I came to say goodbye." He stared steadily at an unknown point in front of him. "So are you happy now? Goodbye, Rory." She reached out to touch him, but felt herself being tugged away, pushed upward as sleep faded.

"Rory? Rory."

"Jess, no…"

"What?" She opened her eyes. He was gazing down at her, a puzzled expression on his face. "What?" he repeated. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she choked out, running a hand over her face. It was bathed in sweat. Is this real, or am I dreaming? she wondered. She reached out and touched him, solid warmth pressing back underneath her fingertips. It wasn't convincing enough. Pulling away from his grasp, she stood and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She'd heard once that if you weren't sure if you were dreaming or awake, you should find a mirror and look at your reflection. If you looked away, looked back, and the reflection changed, you were dreaming. The Rory in the mirror blinked back at her, unchanging, and she sighed, a slight tremor running through her bones.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Jess asked from behind her. Her gaze shifted to his reflection, as fixed as her own.

"Yes," she lied. Her heart flipped over in protest. She'd almost always felt like she was lying to Dean, living as some other version of herself while the real Rory sat back and watched in amusement. She remembered the rushing release she'd felt when Dean yelled at her on the dance floor and stormed off, her relief overpowered for the moment by her sadness. That hadn't been a lie. Dean had loved her. She just hadn't loved him. Jess was someone she never felt like she had to lie to. She didn't even think about it. It was easy to tell him the truth. Up till now. She bit her lip hard and fiddled with a knickknack on her dresser while he waited patiently behind her. He knew she would talk if she wanted to. He knew she was lying.

"Are we still going back to Philadelphia tomorrow?" he asked.

"Of course." They'd agreed the day before to drive back to Jess' apartment. Rory would spend most of the rest of the summer there. Frequent visits to Stars Hollow were a given. It was good timing, as something certainly seemed to be starting between Lorelai and Luke, though neither would admit to it outright. They would have an easier time of it if neither her daughter nor his nephew was around to spoil their romantic encounters.

Lorelai had protested weakly over the upcoming trip to Paris, claiming that it had to be some kind of ruse, a cover-up for something that would devastate Rory and Jess' relationship, but Rory stood staunchly in Richard's defense. She was attending Friday night dinner that evening, without Jess. He'd offered to come, but if she was truthful with herself, she needed an hour or two away from him to sort out her feelings. Her memories were too muddled up with the new ones creating themselves every second she spent with him. She stiffened as he approached her from behind and rubbed her shoulders.

"You're so tense," he commented. "Semester's over." His breath tickled the back of her neck. "You can relax now."

"Can't," Rory disagreed, the single word coming out harsher than she meant it to. Jess pulled back.

"Why not?"

She pushed past him to her closet, trying to choose something to wear that evening.

"Rory." He sighed, a sharp exhalation through his nose. "I know there's something wrong, so you might as well tell me. Did I do something?"

She hesitated only a moment. "Yes."

"When? What did I do?"

She stared into her closet, the row of dresses and blouses and neatly-hung pants blurring before her. "You left," she said finally, her voice breaking. Her dream echoed around the room. He said nothing and she turned slowly. He was still there. He waited. "You…you left. I know…you had to. But…" She chewed on the edge of her fingernail.

"Rory," he said softly. "We've talked about this already. Ages ago." He stepped forward and she shrank back, her heart wanting to propel her forward into his arms, her mind reversing the action. The hurt registered on his face. His jaw worked, his teeth silently grinding together. "Why are you thinking about that?" he asked. She shrugged one shoulder, childish. They stood for a moment, mere inches away from one another. "Do you want me to go?" he asked eventually.

"Yes…no…I don't know."

"Pick one," he growled. His mouth was set in a thin line and she was breaking apart on the inside.

"Yes." The door slammed behind him and Rory heard Lorelai say something before the front door whipped closed as well.

"Rory? What just happened?" Lorelai opened the door cautiously.

"I don't know," she said honestly, and tears started streaming down her cheeks.


End file.
